The Las Vegas Raiders will have a totally new offense this offseason with head coach Josh McDaniels and many of the assistants he brought on getting let go. That likely means new general manager Tom Telesco will revamp the quarterback room.
Aidan O’Connell is on a rookie contract so he’s not going anywhere but Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t safe. Though the Raiders still have major question marks at quarterback and Garoppolo still has guaranteed money on his contract, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report believes the team needs to cut him this offseason.
“While Garoppolo’s contract has $23.8 million in dead money remaining, the Raiders can dump him as early as this offseason,” Knox wrote in a January 29 column. “Releasing Garoppolo with a post-June 1 designation would trigger dead-cap hits of $15.5 million and $12.8 million in 2024 and 2025, respectively, but would also save $12.1 million in 2024 cap space.
“The Raiders can afford to swallow that dead money in order to free cap room and move on to a QB plan that fits the new regime.”
The $23.8+ million in dead cap isn’t ideal, especially for a player that the Raiders got very little out of. However, Garoppolo isn’t likely to be in the mix to be the starting quarterback in Las Vegas next season so there’s a strong chance he’s released.
Any Chance Las Vegas Raiders Keep Jimmy Garoppolo?
It’ll be difficult to know what the Raiders need from a quarterback until they hire an offensive coordinator. Some coaches may want a quarterback who can move but it’s possible that there’s a coach who’d want to use Jimmy Garoppolo.
However, that seems unlikely. Head coach Antonio Pierce had multiple opportunities to bench Aidan O’Connell in favor of Garoppolo when the offense was stagnating and decided against it. It seems like he’d prefer to go young at quarterback and that will likely play a factor in who he hires. It’s always possible that the team chooses to keep Garoppolo around for another season due to his contract but the most likely outcome is that he gets released in the near future.
Jimmy G ➡️ Tae for the first down!
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What About Brian Hoyer?
All three of the 2023 Raiders quarterbacks are under contract for 2024, including Brian Hoyer. Hoyer isn’t going to be in a position to start for the team but he’s almost certainly going to be back as a backup. He has a $2.6 million cap hit next season and the Raiders wouldn’t save any money by cutting him.
It’s possible that Hoyer could retire. He’s 38 and was contemplating retirement before signing with the Raiders. That said, he’s got $2.6 million guaranteed to come his way in 2024 and isn’t going to play unless there are injuries. It’s hard to see a scenario where he forgoes that money in favor of retirement.
Hoyer is a veteran who has spent a lot of time in the NFL. He’s a valuable mind to have around and could serve as a pseudo-player coach. Even if the Raiders decide to go with Aidan O’Connell as the starter, having a veteran mentor like Hoyer on the roster will only help. The same goes for if the Raiders decide to draft a rookie.
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Raiders Told to Eat $24 Million Dead Cap Hit & Cut Free Agent Bust