The Las Vegas Raiders have been dealing with quarterback problems for quite some time now, starting from the end of the 2022 season when Derek Carr was benched and eventually let go. They brought in experienced player Jimmy Garoppolo, previously with the San Francisco 49ers, hoping that he would at least serve as a reliable temporary replacement and help them make it back to the playoffs. However, Garoppolo struggled with injuries and poor performance, leading to his benching midway through the season. Now, the NFL has suspended him for two games due to a violation of its policy on performance enhancing substances. Field Yates tweeted that this suspension could potentially cost Garoppolo over $11 million in guaranteed salary.
A few years ago, Garoppolo was seen as a promising young quarterback when he filled in for Tom Brady during Brady’s suspension for his involvement in “Deflategate.” In 2017, Garoppolo was traded to the 49ers, and the struggling team believed they had found their long-term quarterback solution. He even led them to the Super Bowl just two years later, but their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs after holding a 10-point lead exposed his limitations. San Francisco made a move to improve their quarterback position by trading up to draft Trey Lance, and in 2022, they unexpectedly found an upgrade in Brock Purdy, the final pick of the 2022 draft.
It is expected that the Raiders will release Garoppolo in a few weeks, which would free up a significant amount of salary cap space. With this newfound flexibility, they could potentially pursue high-caliber free-agent quarterbacks like Kirk Cousins or even Russell Wilson.
According to the Source thecoldwire.com