The Las Vegas Raiders will roll with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo as their starting quarterback after agreeing 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 pushback for replacing Derek Carr with Garoppolo. For some, it’s seen as a lateral move. For others, it’s a downgrade.
Garoppolo’s contract details with the Raiders 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.
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 Raiders had acquired Aaron Rodgers, this succession plan wouldn’t have been possible.
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