Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's story with the Silver and Black has certainly been unusual.
From being dealt a $72-million contract to failing a physical and being in jeopardy of playing this season to suffering a concussion in Week 3 to being benched after Week 8, it has not been the ideal year for one of the game's winningest quarterbacks.
High expectations were placed on Garoppolo when he came in to replace Derek Carr as the franchise quarterback, but it did not take long for the veteran to become an afterthought.
Despite being signed to a three-year, $72.75-million contract last March, Garoppolo was replaced as the starting quarterback less than halfway through the season when Interim Head Coach Antonio Pierce took over. Garoppolo had started the season with a 3-3 record as QB1 and, at the time, led the league with nine interceptions thrown through eight games.
The veteran quarterback finished the season with just 1,207 passing yards and seven touchdowns in seven games.
Garoppolo is currently the 19th highest paid quarterback in the league, with an average salary of $24.25 million per year. His final contract with the San Francisco 49ers was worth $137.5 million over five years. At the time of his signing, the $27.5 per year average was the largest in NFL history.
To compare, Garoppolo's predecessor, Carr, had been dealt a three-year, $121.5-million contract in April of 2022.
When the Raiders acquired Garoppolo last offseason, the two-time Super Bowl champion was still recovering from a season-ending foot injury he had suffered in his final season with the 49ers.
"It was tricky," Garoppolo told reporters Monday. "It was different than any injury I've had in the past. I mean, you're on your feet obviously all day, and it's just a little thing that nags you. And so, it was tough throughout training camp, I can't even lie.
"But we got to a good point where [I] started to not even notice it, really -- last couple of months, I haven't even thought about it. Rehab went well and finally feel like myself again.
"So, that's one positive to come out of this: not going into rehab or surgery this offseason. That's big time."
From February 27 to March 4, 2024, the NFL Scouting Combine will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.
The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick.
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