If Jimmy Garoppolo is a no-go for the Las Vegas Raiders, then their best quarterback option might be Carson Wentz.
With Tom Brady dipping his toes into team ownership, he is not able to play for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Although he has a great former working relationship with Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels, the NFL owners aren’t going to let The Goat come down from the executive’s box and quarterback the Silver and Black, even if he is 46 years old. Should the Raiders end up parting ways with free-agent acquisition Jimmy Garoppolo for medical reasons, their next best option is … Carson Wentz.
ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez listed Wentz as the best free-agency option out there for the Raiders if Garoppolo cannot play and they don’t want to see what the rookie Aidan O’Connell has just yet.
While I do like O’Connell quite a bit coming out of Purdue, Wentz is so inherently reckless, man…
Las Vegas Raiders’ best QB option outside of Jimmy Garoppolo is Carson Wentz
I would hope that Garoppolo can play for the Raiders this year. Like Brady, he played in McDaniels’ offense with the New England Patriots. Keep in mind that Brady and Garoppolo shared the same representation as quarterbacks. He knows the system and is a terrific player … when healthy. And therein lies the problem with one Jimmy G. He gets hurt for extended stretches almost annually.
Again, O’Connell was an incredible quarterback at Purdue, but he is probably not ready to be fed to the wolves in Las Vegas. Over time, he may prove to be the high-quality, pocket-passing quarterback he was in college. Unfortunately, the timing isn’t right for him to lead the Silver and Black on fall Sundays just yet. This is why the Raiders could reluctantly bring Wentz into the fold.
It would be Wentz’s fourth team in as many seasons. After losing his starting job to Jalen Hurts with the 2020 Philadelphia Eagles, he had another challenging year with the Indianapolis Colts in 2021 before not really being the starter with the 2022 Washington Commanders. Taylor Heinicke played better than him, but Washington decided to see what Sam Howell could do in Week 18.
For now, the Raiders are in a very difficult spot. Their margin for error this season feels razor-thin. Even if Garoppolo was healthy enough to play and start all 17 regular-season games, the AFC is too top-heavy for the Silver and Black to realistically make the playoffs this year. As soon as they sign someone like Wentz, they will officially enter the Caleb Williams or Drake Maye sweepstakes.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, but it is hard to be optimistic with Wentz starting.