The Las Vegas Raiders will roll with Super Bowl quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo as their starting quarterback after signing him to a three-year contract earlier this week.
Meanwhile, four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers has made it clear that he intends to play for the New York Jets. Details of a trade still needs to be worked out between the Jets and Green Bay Packers. But the future Hall of Famer will be in Jersey next season.
This almost wasn’t the case. According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, Las Vegas did indeed place a call with the Packers about acquiring Rodgers. When nothing came to fruition, the Raiders settled on Garoppolo.
Vegas has received some push back for replacing Derek Carr with Garoppolo. For some, it’s seen as a lateral move. For others, it’s a downgrade.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback situation and analysis
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With that said, this analysis can’t be conducted within a vacuum. As of right now, it appears that the Packers are demanding two first-round picks from New York for the 39-year-old Rodgers. That’s just not doable from a Raiders’ perspective given their needs on both sides of the ball.
Garoppolo’s contract details with the Las Vegas Raiders also makes it highly likely that they’ll draft a quarterback early in April. Vegas boasts the seventh overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and attempted to move up to the top selection with the Chicago Bears before they dealt it to the Carolina Panthers in a blockbuster earlier this month.
- Jimmy Garoppolo contract: 3 years, $72.75 million; $33.75 million guaranteed at signing
The Raiders can actually get out of Garoppolo’s contract following next season while saving $10 million against the cap. It would come with an $18.75 million dead cap hit. But it’s doable if an unnamed rookie proves himself capable of starting in 2024.
If the Las Vegas Raiders had acquired Aaron Rodgers, this succession plan wouldn’t have been possible.