The Las Vegas Raiders have not always had the best luck when it comes to finding quarterbacks.
While the hope for Raiders fans now is that Geno Smith can provide some semblance of stability under center, that has not always been the case. While Derek Carr is demonized in some circles, the fact of the matter is he is far and away the best quarterback the Raiders have had since Rich Gannon. For the past 21 years since Gannon’s last full season in 2002, Raiders fans witnessed a rotating cast of quarterbacks including JaMarcus Russell, Carson Palmer and Gardnew Minshew.
Another name in that list is Jimmy Garoppolo, who joined the Raiders during the Josh McDaniels-Dave Ziegler era in 2023. Like many before him, Garoppolo failed to make a significant impact in Las Vegas, throwing for 1,205 yards, seven touchdowns and nine interceptions. He was replaced by Aidan O’Connell midseason and released in March of last year.
Garoppolo has since resurfaced with the Los Angeles Rams, and he had some not-so-nice things to say about his tenure with the Raiders.
Garoppolo made a thinly-veiled jab at the Raiders during a press conference announcing his re-signing with the Rams.
According to Gsry Klein of the Los Angeles Times, Garoppolo brought up why he decided to re-sign with the Rams and, in the process, aired out his grievances.
“It’s really more about the situation than the opportunity,” said Garoppolo. “There were some opportunities. But I’ve been in a bad organization and I’ve seen how it can wear on you throughout the year. Just talking to my brothers, my family, didn’t want to go through that again.”
While Garoppolo never explicitly mentioned the Raiders as the so-called ‘bad organization,’ it is far from rocket science to deduce exactly who he is referring to.
Outside of the Rams and Raiders, Garoppolo also played for the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers. He won two Super Bowls with the former as Tom Brady’s understudy, and was an inhuman comeback performance from Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes away from winning one with the latter. Add his recent re-signing with the Rams to the mix, and process of elimination points squarely at the Raiders.
In fairness to Garoppolo, he was far from wrong in his blunt assessment of the McDaniels-lead Raiders.
It was clear by the end of his tenure that McDaniels lost the Raiders locker room, finishing dead last in the NFLPA’s report cards in 2023 in terms of head coaches. His teams looked dysfunctional and unprepared, trying desperately to enforce the Bill Belichick-style Patriot Way without the core elements that made it successful in New England. Even with the lack of success, watching the team operate from McDaniels to Antonio Pierce was a night-and-day difference, and the hopes are that new head coach Pete Carroll can keep the good vibes rolling.
Garoppolo’s comments were a reminder of a dark period in recent Raiders history, one the team is moving from as quickly as possible.
