NFL rumors: Raiders avoid QB dystopia with Jimmy Garoppolo deal

The Las Vegas Raiders were playing with fire at QB after letting Derek Carr go but Jimmy Garoppolo is reuniting with Josh McDaniels to avert disaster.

The more that trickled out about the Las Vegas Raiders‘ plans at quarterback following Derek Carr’s release, the more it seemed like their eggs were all in one basket and, if that didn’t happen, the Raiders would be living a Vegas trope as old as time, sitting at the table with their head in their hands wondering how they reached this low of a point.

Luckily, Jimmy Garoppolo is coming to save them.

Right as the NFL free agency legal tampering period began on Monday, the Raiders were able to secure a deal with Garoppolo that will put the quarterback with Josh McDaniels, who worked with the signal-caller for years as the offensive coordinator in New England.

Jimmy Garoppolo contract details: Raiders avoid disaster by signing QB

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the details of the Jimmy Garoppolo contract as the quarterback inked a three-year, $67.5 million deal with Las Vegas. Perhaps most importantly though, only $34 million of that is guaranteed.

Having only about half of Garoppolo’s contract guaranteed is massive for the Raiders. They can use the veteran as a highly serviceable stopgap while having the flexibility to draft a prospect they like to develop this year or to wait until next offseason and perhaps be more aggressive in pursuing a QB prospect.

More importantly, though, the Raiders are avoiding an unmitigated trainwreck with Jimmy G now in the building. Not only did Las Vegas let Carr walk, but they have been out on Aaron Rodgers for some time it seems, don’t appear involved with Lamar Jackson, and saw Jarrett Stidham — who started after Carr was benched at the end of the 2022 season — sign with Denver.

Now that the disaster has been averted, though, the Raiders are in a good spot to dictate their future at quarterback moving forward, starting with Garoppolo.