Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo currently finds himself as somewhat of a standstill.
The veteran signed a three-year, $72.5 million contract with the Raiders last spring, only to lose his starting job to rookie Aidan O’Connell midway through his debut campaign.
O’Connell will probably be under center for Las Vegas again in 2024, and even if he isn’t, the Raiders almost certainly won’t be turning back to Garoppolo.
That obviously muddies Garoppolo’s future in Vegas, but he is remaining optimistic.
“You never know,” Garoppolo said when asked if he would be competing for the Raiders’ starting signal-caller job next season (via Paul Gutierrez of ESPN).
The 32-year-old threw one pass in the Raiders’ season finale. Before that, he had not played since Oct. 30. In six starts this year, Garoppolo threw for 1,205 yards, seven touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 65.1 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 77.7.
“I just want to get back to playing, honestly,” Garoppolo said. “That’s why I play this game. … I love to win. Honestly, what I think I’m here for is just to go out there and get wins. As a football player, it’s something you’ve got to embrace. Not everyone wants that. Some people just want statistics and things like that. I really just want to go out there and win. I really enjoy doing it. That’s what we’re here for.”
Chances are, he won’t get that opportunity in Las Vegas.
Cutting Garoppolo this offseason would ultimately result in a $28 million dead cap hit for the Raiders, but it probably won’t stop them from doing it.
Prior to joining Las Vegas, Jimmy Garoppolo had spent the previous six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, leading the club to a Super Bowl appearance during the 2019-20 campaign.
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