The Las Vegas Raiders might prefer Jimmy Garoppolo over Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.
While the Las Vegas Raiders have been tied to Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers thanks in part to Davante Adams, there is a chance the Silver and Black might actually prefer Jimmy Garoppolo of the San Francisco 49ers over him.
On the condition of anonymity for competitive reasons, this one NFL executive spoke with Mike Sando of The Athletic (subscription required) about what could happen with Rodgers this offseason.
“Vegas would be fine for him. It just seems like a weird fit, Rodgers’ personality and Josh McDaniels. I think Josh would probably rather develop his own guy than have Rodgers, and I think he’d rather have (Jimmy) Garoppolo than Rodgers.”
This is slightly earth-shattering, but there are reasons why the Raiders might prefer Garoppolo.
It is all about using Garoppolo for what he is: A high-end, stop-gap starter to bridge to a new era.
Las Vegas Raiders might prefer to add Jimmy Garoppolo over Aaron Rodgers
From a competitive standpoint, Garoppolo is not an upgrade over Derek Carr. He may be able to galvanize his teammates at an elite level, but Garoppolo is injury-prone. Moreover, there is a finite ceiling for a team quarterbacked by Garoppolo: A team capable of getting to, but not winning a Super Bowl. That would be a huge upgrade for the Raiders who rarely make the AFC playoffs as is.
While trading for Rodgers would make them an immediate contender in the AFC West overnight, keep in mind what the Raiders would have to give up to get him. Rodgers has shown he can carry weaker rosters to the postseason, but those days could be behind him. He is pushing 40 and the Raiders are not the Packers organizationally. That is a very important point in him having success.
As far as Garoppolo is concerned, he will be hitting free agency this offseason. One would think the Raiders could be in the mix to sign him, as he is not going back to the 49ers. Brock Purdy may be down for the count, but it serves Kyle Shanahan and the rest of the 49ers to see what they have in Trey Lance for an entire season. They have earned the right to see if this works out or not.
In theory, signing Garoppolo would be a way to keep the seat warm while McDaniels can develop his own guy. Whether that is Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Will Levis, Anthony Richardson or whoever remains to be seen. Let’s just hope McDaniels has learned from his GOB Bluth huge Tebow mistake from his Denver days. Rodgers may be heading to the AFC, but maybe not to the Raiders.
If the Silver and Black do bow out of the Rodgers trade market, keep an eye on the New York Jets.