NEWSLETTER
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is being suspended for two games by the league for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing substances policy.
Even more notable, Schetfer reported that the Raiders plan to release Garoppolo before the fifth day of the new league year in March in order to avoid paying him an $11.25 million roster bonus that would have become guaranteed on that day.
Schefter says Garoppolo violated a policy by using prescribed medication without permission from the league.
Garoppolo signed a three-year, $72.75 million contract that included $33.75 million guaranteed with Las Vegas last March, less than one year ago, when Josh McDaniels was the team’s head coach and Dave Ziegler the general manager.
Under the leadership of head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco, there appears to be little attachment or allegiance to Garoppolo. The Raiders are poised to seek out another quarterback in the upcoming draft, with speculation within the league suggesting that Las Vegas may be inclined to make a bold move by trading up from their current No. 13 pick.
Following Garoppolo’s official release by the Raiders, the team’s quarterback roster will consist of last year’s rookie Aidan O’Connell and veteran Brian Hoyer. Notably, Hoyer has previous connections to McDaniels and Ziegler from their shared time in New England.
What does this mean for Jimmy Garoppolo and the QB market?
The Raiders could trade Garoppolo before the fifth day of the new league year, but it seems unlikely. I don’t see a robust trade market for a 32-year-old quarterback with an expensive cap hit and diminishing skills who will miss the first two games of the 2024 season due to suspension.
Garoppolo, 32, is going to play for his third team in three seasons. He was with the San Francisco 49ers in 2022 and the Raiders in 2023 as a free agent.
According to NFL rules, Garoppolo can participate in all offseason activities and training camp with any new team he joins. However, once the regular season opens, he will face a two-week suspension from his new team.
With Garoppolo all but out of the door in Vegas, the Raiders will be a team in the market for a quarterback this offseason, and they could have to get creative since they don’t pick until the middle of the first round in April’s NFL Draft. Free agency or a trade could be a more realistic option for the Raiders.
There was chatter about Justin Fields being a potential fit in Vegas via a trade with the Bears, but I think that Luke Getsy getting the OC job in Vegas ended that conversation. What this does mean, is that there’s a veteran — and likely cheap — option on the market now, potentially eliminating an opening somewhere for the Bears if they do indeed look to trade Justin Fields.
