Raiders News: $72.5 Million Signee on 2024 ‘Roster Bubble,’ per Expert

Getty Jimmy Garoppolo is likely to be released in the coming months.

It might not exactly be big Raiders news that the roster spot for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is in jeopardy for the 2024 NFL season. But the way the roster action may have to go down is somewhat surprising in light of previous reports about how the erstwhile QB’s tenure is to end with the Raiders.

Let’s start with the annual list put out by the sport contract site Spotrac, which details the NFL players believed to be “on the bubble” for roster spots in 2024. The author, Mike Ginnitti, sees Garoppolo as one of nine quarterbacks who could be let go in the offseason. Geno Smith is probably the most successful name on the list, along with Justin Fields—who very likely won’t be cut now that the Bears have secured the No. 1 overall pick.

But Garoppolo and Smith are the only players on the quarterback list with salaries over $20 million per year—Smith at $31.2 million and Garoppolo at $28.5 million, part of a three-year, $72.5 million contract he signed last spring with the Raiders.

Wrote Ginitti: “Jimmy Garoppolo was benched midseason to preserve his injury guarantees & pave the way for Aidan O’Connell. Barring a trade (unlikely), the Raiders will pay Jimmy G. an $11.25M bonus to release him next March. A Pre June 1 cut only opens up $200k of cap, while a Post June 1 move can free up $13M eventually.”

Jimmy Garoppolo Will Linger Until June

So it won’t do to simply cut Garoppolo soon after the season ends. The Raiders can designate him to be cut, but the actual move won’t take place until after June 1. The savings the team will get from letting Garoppolo go won’t come at the height of free agency, in other words.

As ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wrote last week, it would be “stunning” news if Garoppolo somehow returned to the Raiders. Owner Mark Davis still has to cycle through the process of adding a coach (or keeping interim Antonio Pierce) and a GM (same with interim Champ Kelly). Once that happens, the team will have to determine whether the give Aidan O’Connell a chance at quarterback, trade for a veteran or draft a rookie in an increasingly crowded field.

None of the options includes having Garoppolo return to the Raiders, though.

“Barring a stunning turn of events, the Raiders will release Garoppolo, who will end up making just over $35 million for six starts in a Raiders uniform. And $11.3 million of that figure is in a guaranteed bonus that comes due next season. Vegas will have nearly $29 million in dead money for Garoppolo spread over the next two years on its cap,” Barnwell wrote.

AOC Sticking Around Would Be Good News for the Raiders

As for O’Connell, the good news is that he will, at least, be the backstop at quarterback for the 2024 season. O’Connell got the job once Josh McDaniels was fired and Garoppolo was demoted — McDaniels had been the one who pushed for the Garoppolo signing last year.

The team could go for a big-name trade target or pursue a draft star but either way, O’Connell is likely to be on the roster, either competing for the starting job or serving as a backup.

Either way, the experience of this year has sharpened him, he said.

“The ability to get practice reps throughout the week is huge, something I didn’t know how valuable it was before I was playing,” O’Connell said in his press conference on Wednesday, January 3. “Just to get out there when the real bullets are flying is huge. I try to learn as much as possible. It’s been crazy. I’ve definitely learned more football than a lot of years in the past, but it’s been a fun process.”

It has been a blessing, in a way, that he has had to learn so much so fast, because it has kept him from worrying about next year.

“Each week has so much,” O’Connell said. “There’s a lot of studying I have to do to get ready to play the game, so it’s almost a blessing there is so much to do because you can’t really think of anything else in the future.”