The 2024 NFL free agent quarterback class is thin outside of Kirk Cousins, if the Minnesota Vikings star even hits the open market.
So most teams eyeing a new starting quarterback will have to focus on the 2024 NFL Draft (loaded with promising QB prospects) or the trade market. One strong trade candidate is Las Vegas Raiders signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo, who just lost his starting job to rookie Aidan O’Connell.
In a widely panned move that quickly became disastrous, the Raiders signed Garoppolo to a three-year contract worth $72.75 million in free agency. Before getting benched in favor of O’Connell, Garoppolo had missed two games to injury.
It’s awfully evident that Garoppolo once again needs a change of scenery, and there’s one AFC club that especially makes sense for the 32-year-old.
That would be his former team in the New England Patriots, who drafted Garoppolo way-back-when in 2014 with the idea that he would succeed Tom Brady in Foxborough.
The Patriots (2-7) are in the midst of one of their worst seasons ever, and it’s hard to envision Bill Belichick wanting to give Mac Jones a fourth year behind center. The good news for the Patriots is that they’re in great position to find a new franchise QB next year.
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New England should finish with a top-five pick, giving them the chance to take USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, Oregon’s Bo Nix, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. or Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy.
What Belichick could do here is plan to draft a new QB in round one but still reacquire Garoppolo from the Raiders and use him as a mentor/bridge to the next signal-caller. Garoppolo has enough familiarity in New England’s offense and could work as a game manager on a team that relies on the ground game and a stingy defense to win.
The Raiders would probably be thrilled to get out of Garoppolo’s contract, so New England could offer a 2024 sixth-round pick for their old friend. It’d be a win-win for everybody, especially the veteran QB in need of a fresh start.
