HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Jimmy Garoppolo has agreed to a three-year, $67.5 million contract with the Raiders, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Monday, likely answering the question of who will be Las Vegas’ starting quarterback next season.
The person spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity because the deal can’t be announced until Wednesday.
Garoppolo’s contract includes $34 million in the guaranteed money, the person said.
The Raiders have been linked to Garoppolo almost from the moment coach Josh McDaniels benched nine-year starter Derek Carr with two weeks left in the season. Carr, the Raiders’ all-time leader with 35,222 passing yards and 217 touchdown passes, has since signed with the New Orleans Saints.
McDaniels was the Patriots’ offensive coordinator when Garoppolo backed up Tom Brady in New England beginning in 2014. With Brady locked in as the starter, Garoppolo was traded to San Francisco during the 2017 season and immediately became the 49ers’ starter.
He was effective when healthy, going 38-17 and taking the Niners to the 2019 and 2021 NFC championship games. San Francisco made the Super Bowl in the 2019 season.
But the 31-year-old Garoppolo has had several significant injuries. In 2018, he suffered a season-ending knee injury in San Francisco’s third game, and in 2020 he missed eight games with ankle injuries.
The 49ers had planned to trade Garoppolo before last season and start Trey Lance, the third overall pick in the 2021 draft whom San Francisco gave up three first-round picks to acquire. Garoppolo underwent offseason shoulder surgery, killing trade interest in him from other clubs, so the 49ers re-signed him at a reduced deal.
When Lance was injured two games into the season, Garoppolo agains took over as the starter. He was having his best year, throwing 16 touchdown passes and four interceptions in 10 games, before going down with a season-ending foot injury.
Rookie Brock Purdy, the last player selected in last year’s draft, took over and led the Niners to the NFC championship game, where they lost to Philadelphia. Purdy suffered an elbow injury early in that game and had surgery last week, but after he concludes his rehab, the Niners will have two potential starters on the roster in Purdy and Lance.
Garoppolo joins a Raiders team coming off a 6-11 season, but with an offense that includes wide receivers Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow and tight end Darren Waller. Las Vegas also has placed the franchise tag on running back Josh Jacobs, who led the NFL in rushing last season.
The Raiders own the seventh pick in the draft and could draft a quarterback with that selection or one in the later rounds. Expected backup Jarrett Stidham agreed to sign with the AFC West rival Denver Broncos.
They have plenty of salary cap space, especially after restructuring defensive end Maxx Crosby’s contract to free up $7.5 million, according to ESPN. Including Garoppolo’s deal, Las Vegas has $27.4 million in cap space, according to overthecap.com.
The Raiders have plenty of needs to address, particularly on the offensive line and throughout the defense.
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