Expected to be released by the Raiders, Jimmy Garoppolo will not be able to suit up for his next team until Week 3 of the 2024 season. The veteran quarterback received a two-game suspension Friday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Garoppolo will be banned under the league’s PED policy, per Schefter, who indicates this penalty is believed to stem from the veteran quarterback using a prescription medication without a therapeutic use exemption. Garoppolo will not appeal the ban.
During what turned out to be Josh McDaniels‘ final offseason running the show, the Raiders gave Garoppolo a three-year, $72.75MM contract hours into the legal tampering period. This came after a foot fracture ended Garoppolo’s 49ers career. More injury trouble emerged for the ex-Patriots draftee in Las Vegas, but the Raiders benched their starter immediately after firing McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler. Garoppolo spent the second half of the season backing up Aidan O’Connell. That setup always pointed to a release; Friday’s suspension will ensure Garoppolo will be a Vegas one-and-done.
The suspension stands to help the Raiders, who will be eyeing other QB options this offseason. Garoppolo is due an $11.25MM guarantee, which covers his 2024 base salary. This ban will reduce the dead money that would come the Raiders’ way in the event of release. Cutting Garoppolo will now only cost the Raiders $17.1MM, as opposed to $28.4MM, according to OverTheCap. That will help the Antonio Pierce-Tom Telesco regime as it determines its 2024 QB path. The suspension will void the guarantee, per CBS Sports’ Joel Corry, who notes Garoppolo’s contract includes language indicating a PED ban would trigger a void.
This continues a downward trend for Garoppolo, who was at the controls for the start of what turned out to be a seminal 49ers win streak during the 2022 season. A December 2022 Jones fracture ended Garoppolo’s season, introducing Brock Purdy to the NFL world. The 49ers did not make an attempt to re-sign Garoppolo, despite the team reaching a resolution to retain him as Trey Lance insurance just before the ’22 season. Garoppolo still commanded a decent market in 2023, fetching $33.75MM guaranteed from the Raiders. Part of that guarantee will not come his way.
Garoppolo, 32, started six games for the Raiders last season. Given a less QB-friendly setup in Las Vegas compared to the one he enjoyed under Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco, Garoppolo struggled. He finished his six-game run with nine INTs compared to seven TD passes. The Raiders, who had included an injury waiver in Garoppolo’s deal in case he did not heal properly from offseason foot surgery, parked the 10th-year passer on the bench after a dismal Monday-night showing in Detroit — one that preceded the firings of McDaniels, Ziegler and OC Mick Lombardi. With Pierce and Bo Hardegree in charge, Garoppolo was no longer part of the plan.
Although Garoppolo was coming off a benching that was set to cut into his 2024 market, a few teams are in need of at least a bridge option at QB this offseason. This suspension will further reduce Garoppolo’s negotiating leverage. While Garoppolo joins Russell Wilson as experienced starters expected to be cut by an AFC West team, the former’s injury history and newly discovered unavailability will hurt the former Super Bowl starter as a street free agent. A team wanting a bridge QB would ideally need that passer to be available to start the season, potentially as a rookie develops.
The 2023 Raiders agreement showed other teams pursued Garoppolo, who has made 63 career starts. Of course, he has also missed 32 starts due to injury over the course of his career. This suspension stands to help the markets of some stopgap-type passers on this year’s market. Beyond top UFA QBs Baker Mayfield and Kirk Cousins, a glut of midlevel vets — from Ryan Tannehill to Jacoby Brissett to Gardner Minshew to Sam Darnold — loom as options for teams unable to land the top two signal-callers. Justin Fields also likely will be an option via trade. Considering the Raiders’ Luke Getsy hire, they should at least be viewed as a possible destination for the three-year Bears starter.
Pierce’s past with Heisman winner Jayden Daniels has already come up this offseason, with the former Arizona State recruit’s name being mentioned during the Raiders’ OC search. It would likely take a big haul for the Raiders to move up from No. 13 into Daniels territory, however. O’Connell still resides as a possible Week 1 starter for Las Vegas, but once Garoppolo is cut, the now-Telesco-led team may also seek a veteran — should it determine a trade-up for a prized rookie too pricey — to compete with the 2023 fourth-round pick for the 2024 gig.
It’s amazing how fast a highly paid QB drops in value in a couple years. I think he will still be paid as a veteran backup QB for some team, but I don’t see him being a starting QB for any team, going forward.
That’s the market and that’s the nfl. I still remember when Stafford was the highest paid QB for the lions lol
Minshew is a UFA. Wouldn’t be surprised to see Colts take a look for what will surely be a much lower cost. Richardson can probably stay healthy for 2 games.
Lmao Jimmy is a downgrade from Minshew imo
Well, yeah. But NFL is a business, so isn’t Minshew expected to rightly get paid for his superior performance last year while Jimmy is severely damaged goods? The backup QB contract is a huge variable for every franchise, since those are dollars for a player you hope you don’t have to use.
Him and Trump have that in common
Dating a porn star was the beginning of the end for Jimmy.
A man who understands that money and rings are nice, but groupies are what makes the world go round.
Prescription hemorrhoid medicine from sitting so long.
He’d be a good backup option for sure. Someone will snag him.
Nothing better than a constantly hurt backup
Seems that “weird situations over there in San Francisco” (Garappollo’s words) was a better situation than his Raiders situation. Niners signed him to the then highest QB salary in the league. He should have kept his mouth shut. Now he looks foolish.
Ironically Purdy reminds me a lot of
Jimmy G in terms of playing style. Nothing to write home about but still a good
NFL Qb. Definitely not elite.
And yet he led the league in QBR
He better lead the league in QBR. Deebo, Aiyuk, Gk, CMC. He’s doing what he’s supposed to do.
Jimmy had GK and Kendrick Bourne in SF during his SB run. deebo was a pup.
Ironically both are 21-6 as SF starting QBs duriing their first 27 games in SF.
.
overrated Kurt Warner had all pros pace, Faulk, TE conwell, WR Bruce and Holt. RAS? please post back with an unoriginal take.
But thank you for making my point on elite. Warner was elite. He still has 3 top 5 SB passing yards all time. Only QB ahead of him is a guy named Brady. I’d argue Aiyuk and Deebo were equally as good as Bruce and holt. Kittle is a
gOAT compared to conwell and CMC is the best back
I’ve seen in 40+ years. Yet Purdy. Couldn’t even get into the top 10 in SB #s? I get Purdy is likeable but don’t let the likeness cloud that judgement.
Burrow had Higgins, Chase and Boyd and never led the league in QBR. So you seem to be saying Purdy is better than Burrow?
the 2 are not even close to being similar.
Raymond, they (Jimmy &Purdy) are both SB losers until they aren’t. They both missed open TD passes in the SB. They both have similar records. Both led their teams to the SB. Both had a strong defense. Both had double digit SB leads. The differences is Purdy is likable by people Like us. Jimmy G was traded for, highly paid and dated porn stars (nothing like us). Just watch chiefs/SF 1 and then watch last SB you’d be surprised. I get Purdy is likeable but I’m calling a spade a spade plus Jimmy got to the SB with LESS than Purdy (& Warner). less. Those are facts.
You do realize porn stars have relationships with normal people right? Not to mention with the popularity of Onlyfans there is a ever growing number of them.
Not really
Love him or hate him… he does have a nice resume.
You mean bank account. The wins column is a little light for the teams that forked out all that cash.
That too. All players do. Im from Bakersfield where they wanna put Derek Carr on Mt Rushmore. Carr did not do anything but produce millions of “excuses” from Raider fans why he never won.Jimmy G went to 2 NFC games. Im just saying hes had a good career and done nothing but win. Winning to me is way nicer than what people think.
All of these guys are winning quarterbacks, this is absurd.
A quarterback can be a winner and still not win a Superbowl.
Raiders staying on brand…
I feel sorry for their fans though. Having an owner who gets his hair cut with a bowl on his head has got to be embarrassing. It would be nice if Mark Davis at least ran the team well.
Jimmy gets his release just in time to try out for one of the spring league teams…lol.
Roids can’t fix him lol.
He didn’t take steroids
Didn’t say he did – doesn’t change my statement
I’m wearing my tin foil hat on this one. A two game suspension that is likely going to be reduced to a single game doesn’t sound like much, but it IS long enough for the Raiders to void some money remaining on Jimmy’s contract.
Sure, it’s likely they would have cut Jimmy before the season – but adding another $12-14 million in savings to the Raider’s bottom line seems like just the sort of Thank You note the NFL would award in return for their stellar Super Bowl ratings…
I’m just curious – do you think Vegas had anything to do with SuperBowl ratings? Or was it the matchup and the intrigue of the teams playing each other once again?
Oversize spectacle + Taylor Swift + overtime game = largest TV audience in US since Apollo 11.
Well there go his HOF chances
Come back to Foxboro
Eagles backup on a low base, high incentive deal. McKee can be the number 2 for the first two games…
Stay off the drugs son.
Don’t knock dating a porn star. Someday he could be President