Raiders, Jimmy Garoppolo finalizing deal

This is moving fast. Minutes after a report indicated mutual interest existed between the Raiders and Jimmy Garoppolo, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports the team is closing in on a deal with the ex-Patriots and 49ers passer.

The Raiders had shown some interest, and The Athletic’s Jeff Howe noted Garoppolo had become receptive to rejoining Josh McDaniels. It now looks like the Raiders will replace Derek Carr with McDaniels’ former Pats pupil. This signing is happening, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Dianna Russini.

Las Vegas is landing Garoppolo at a reasonable rate. He is signing a three-year, $67.5M deal, Schefter reports. While this pact includes $34M guaranteed, the AAV puts Garoppolo squarely in between the franchise-QB tier and backup money.

Garoppolo, 31, spent three-plus seasons in McDaniels’ offense in New England, backing up Tom Brady throughout that time (save for the Deflategate stretch). But Garoppolo showed in San Francisco he could be an effective starter. Although a top-tier defense backed him up, Garoppolo piloted the 49ers to Super Bowl LIV and the 2021 NFC championship game.

Carr provides more security than Garoppolo, with the latter suffering injuries during the 2018, 2020, ’21 and ’22 campaigns. But McDaniels did not end up viewing the nine-year Raiders starter as a good fit for his offense. It will now be Garoppolo tasked with distributing the ball to Davante Adams, Darren Waller and Co. This contract also gives the Raiders some flexibility regarding a quarterback draft choice. Holding the No. 7 overall pick, the Raiders have been connected to using it on a quarterback. That still should be a situation to monitor, though it will be interesting to see how McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler — who was also in New England during Garoppolo’s stay — categorize this signing.

QBR placed Garoppolo 16th last season; he has ranked higher — including in his 2019 Super Bowl-bound year — but injuries did well to sidetrack his run with the 49ers. He battled multiple maladies by the time he reached the NFC title game in Los Angeles last year, and a broken foot brought in Brock Purdy last season.

The Raiders had been linked to Aaron Rodgers, though far more loosely compared to the Jets, but they will go with a younger option that will not cost them any draft capital. Garoppolo could be positioned as a multiyear bridge, depending on how the Raiders view this QB class. The team has not used a first-round pick on a passer since the disastrous JaMarcus Russell choice in 2007.

For the Jets, this raises the Rodgers stakes. The team was interested in Carr, bringing him in for a visit, but communicated to the longtime Raider he was their second choice. Some in the Jets organization viewed Garoppolo as a better fit compared to Carr, but both are now unavailable. If Rodgers ends up turning down a chance to join the Jets, the team’s long-expressed plan to acquire a major veteran upgrade will be thrown off axis.