The Las Vegas Raiders are restarting at quarterback once again following the Geno Smith trade. The team has started a number of different quarterbacks since moving on from Derek Carr and some of their former starters continue to get work.
On the first day of NFL free agency, two former Raiders starting quarterbacks got new contracts. First, Jarrett Stidham spent the last two seasons with the Denver Broncos. Though he no longer has a chance to become the starter with Bo Nix playing well as a rookie, he’s decided to stay put.
According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Stidham has signed a two-year contract worth $12 million. That’s a solid salary for a backup quarterback and it’s clear that head coach Sean Payton is a fan.
Nix was impressive as a rookie but he’s young and cheap right now so it makes sense to invest a bit more into a quality backup. Stidham has only started in four games throughout his career, including an interesting two-game stretch for the Raiders in 2022. If Las Vegas could do things over, they’d likely re-sign Stidham after the 2022 season instead of investing in Jimmy Garoppolo. That said, Stidham may be destined to be a backup for his entire NFL career.
Jimmy Garoppolo Also Gets New Deal
Speaking of Garoppolo, he’s also not going anywhere. He spent last season as Matthew Stafford’s backup for the Los Angeles Rams and that’s where he’d like to stay.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Garoppolo has signed a one-year deal that can get up to $9 million with incentives. The Rams are a good spot for the quarterback to be.
He gets to stay in an offense that he’s comfortable with and could have a chance to play if Stafford gets hurt at all. At this point in his career, Garoppolo is too injury-prone to be a full-time starter. Being a backup on a contender makes the most sense for the veteran quarterback at this stage of his career.
Garoppolo is also reuniting with former Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams, who notably bashed the quarterback on Netflix’s “Receiver” series. It remains to be seen if the two have had a chance to patch things up yet.
Do Raiders Have QB of the Future Finally?
Smith is almost certainly going to be the Raiders’ starting quarterback in 2025, but he’s only got one year left on his contract. The fact that Las Vegas only gave up a third-round pick to get him means that they don’t have to be committed to him past the 2025 season.
However, the team has been a revolving door at quarterback for years. The problem is that Smith is already 34 and while quarterbacks are playing longer than ever, there aren’t many examples of quarterbacks playing at a Pro Bowl level in their late 30s.
That said, the Raiders could have at least three very good years left of Smith and will likely give him a contract extension. He’s not the long-term franchise quarterback that many Raiders fans have been hoping for but he’s going to be better than what the team has had at the position.
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