The Derek Carr era has now come and gone for the Las Vegas Raiders. It went out with a whimper as opposed to a blaze of fireworks. The obvious next question is, “Who will lead the Silver and Black next season?” Let’s face it, there’s a lot riding on Year 2 for Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler. One target that makes sense is Jimmy Garoppolo. All three men are tied together by their time with the New England Patriots. Shared history aside, would Garoppolo be the right move? While we can hear a collective sigh from Raider Nation, maybe it makes sense. Or maybe not.
Injuries should be a major red flag for the Raiders…
As his less-than-flattering nickname alludes to, Garoppolo better be coming to Nevada for a visit to the Bunny Ranch. Of course, that’s opposed to visiting the Raiders’ headquarters in Henderson. In his defense, he’s far from a terrible quarterback. He’s a solid game manager, but is he the game-changing quarterback that the Raiders desperately need? You also have to factor in his constant rash of injuries that have quickly piled up. Basically, how much does he have left? As a member of the San Francisco 49ers, Garoppolo missed 17 of 49 possible regular-season games. If you’re keeping track, that works out to 34.69 percent. Thirty-four percent is bad shooting in the NBA and not good for games missed in the NFL.
Jimmy Garoppolo: By the numbers
Yes, we know that the only stats that matter are the wins, and the ongoing discussion is whether wins are a QB stat or not. I’m not even sure at this point—there’s too much back and forth about it. To his credit, when speaking of his win-loss total in the last 57 games, he is at 39-18, which isn’t terrible, but let’s deep dive into some other numbers that are QB stats.
Added up through ESPN stats, the passing yards in those 57 games are 13,599, which breaks down to 238.57 per game. In those 57 games, he has thrown 82 touchdowns, which breaks down to 1.4 per game. In the AFC West, with Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and a possibly revitalized Russell Wilson, that won’t be enough. He has also thrown 40 interceptions in those 57 games (according to ESPN). The wins are good, but the Raiders need someone behind center who can be the reason they win and not just someone who was there during the game.
Youth or “Elite?”
When it’s all said and done, it comes down to a couple of things. The Raiders need a promising rookie for the future. The second is that they need a reliable veteran who can bridge the gap. Garoppolo is neither. In fact, given his health, he could be closer to being on his way out. He’s certainly not worth a hefty paycheck. Ask most people, and they’ll tell you that Garoppolo on the Raiders just doesn’t make sense for these logical reasons.
*Top Photo: Sports Illustrated
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