4 QBs of the future Raiders can't afford to pass up after Jimmy Garoppolo suspension

Last offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders signed Jimmy Garoppolo to a three-year deal worth up to $75 million with $45 million guaranteed. Garoppolo was set to replace Derek Carr at the quarterback position and was tasked with getting a Raiders team with some great pieces on the offensive side of the ball to the playoffs despite playing in a really tough AFC West.

Garoppolo had tons of success quarterbacking the 49ers, but we can now thank the supporting cast and Kyle Shanahan officially for that, as he struggled mightily when given the chance to play for the Raiders. The 32-year-old made just six starts for the Raiders (seven appearances) and completed 65.1 percent of his throws for 1,205 yards, throwing seven touchdowns compared to nine interceptions. Nine picks in six starts seven appearances is very unacceptable, and he was promptly benched in favor of Aiden O'Connell.

After being benched it felt like the writing was on the wall for Garoppolo in Vegas, and now after getting suspended for the first two games of the 2024 season, what everyone expected is now going to become reality as ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Raiders are expected to release Garoppolo before the new league year in mid-March, ending a disastrous tenure.

While the Raiders can turn to O'Connell, he was rather underwhelming when given the chance to play this past season. He'd be a great backup option to have, but if the Raiders plan on competing in 2024, they need a QB upgrade. Any of these quarterbacks are options the Raiders can't really afford to pass up on.

4) The Raiders can't afford to pass on signing Kirk Cousins

The Raiders might be a little afraid to pursue a free agent at the quarterback position after the epic failure of Garoppolo's tenure in Las Vegas, but Kirk Cousins is by far the best option available, and feels like the safest option as well.

Cousins might not be a superstar, but he's certainly an above-average quarterback capable of winning a lot of games, at least in the regular season. He's consistently done great things in Minnesota and there's no reason to believe he wouldn't perform well with the Raiders even while coming off of a torn Achilles.

Before the Achilles tear, Cousins was in the midst of arguably the best season of his career. He was completing 69.5% of his throws for 2,331 yards and 18 touchdowns to go along with five interceptions in eight games. He was on an absolute tear before the injury which ended his and the Vikings season prematurely.

While he'll certainly be expensive, he's the best and most proven quarterback the Raiders can realistically get. Cousins gives them the best chance to win in the near future, which was the goal with Jimmy G.