Getty Davante Adams hugging Jimmy Garoppolo.
The Las Vegas Raiders aren’t tipping their hand when it comes to who they plan for their next quarterback to be. Considering all of the veteran talent the team has on offense, it wouldn’t be a surprise for them to prefer going after a proven veteran over a rookie. There’s been talk about a potential trade for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers but the team might not like the idea of trading valuable draft picks for a 39-year-old quarterback.
If the Raiders pass on a Rodgers trade, they’ll look to the free agent market for quarterback options. The most obvious fit is San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He spent a little more than three years under Josh McDaniels with the New England Patriots and understands how the coach likes to run things. Pro Football Network is predicting the Raiders to sign Garoppolo in free agency:
The Raiders might try to swing a trade for Rodgers, but if they can’t land the future Hall of Famer, Jimmy Garoppolo could make for an intriguing fallback. Las Vegas may have had designs on signing Tom Brady this offseason, but Garoppolo also has a long history with head coach Josh McDaniels, who was the Patriots’ offensive coordinator when they drafted Jimmy G in 2014.
Even if the Raiders sign Garoppolo, they could still conceivably draft a quarterback with the seventh overall pick. Depending on how much interest Garoppolo receives this offseason, Las Vegas could ink him to a contract with an out after the 2023 campaign.
Garoppolo Projected to Sign $150 Million Contract
If the Raiders are hoping that they can sign Garoppolo at a reasonable price and use that extra money to fix the defense, they may be in for a rude awakening. The going rate for quarterbacks is at an all-time high, even if they aren’t considered elite. Garoppolo is frequently injured and limited as a thrower. Despite that, Spotrac is projecting the quarterback to land a massive contract in free agency.
“All things considered, our logical prediction for Jimmy Garoppolo’s next deal rings it at 4 years, $150M, $75M practically guaranteed, $45M guaranteed at signing,” Spotrac wrote.
The $37.5 million annually is slightly less than what the Raiders were going to pay Derek Carr.
Two rings a piece! 💍💍
Raiders Can’t Overpay for Garoppolo
If $150 million is the price Garoppolo is asking, it would certainly raise some eyebrows if the Raiders paid it. A big reason they moved on from Carr is that his play on the field wasn’t able to justify how much he was making. Garoppolo has thrown for more than 20 touchdowns in a season just once in his career while Carr has done it in eight of his nine seasons. He is a more talented quarterback than Garoppolo so the Raiders would be paying all of that money to downgrade at the position.
At that point, the team would be better off taking a chance on a rookie. That would allow them to spend money on fixing the offensive line and defense. Now, if Garoppolo is considerably cheaper than what Spotrac is projecting, he could be worth throwing a two-year contract at. However, anything more than that would certainly raise questions about why the team moved on from Carr in the first place.