3 potential replacements for Raiders QB Derek Carr if released in 2023

No. 2 potential replacement for Raiders QB Derek Carr: Jimmy Garoppolo

Current team: San Francisco 49ers

If you had told someone back in 2014 that Tom Brady would be still playing at a high level in 2022, you might’ve gotten a blank stare. The New England Patriots certainly didn’t think Brady had much gas left in the tank. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have probably drafted Jimmy Garoppolo with a second-round selection that year.

But the Pats quickly realized that Brady still had plenty of football left in him and they traded Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers in 2017. Although Jimmy G has struggled to stay healthy during his stint in the Bay Area, he’s effective an effective game manager, completing 67.6 percent of his passes for 13,321 yards with 81 touchdowns and 42 interceptions.

Back in 2019, he helped the Niners reach the Super Bowl and was one pass away from raising the Lombardi Trophy. Just like Derek Carr, Garoppolo isn’t an upper-echelon quarterback but he can get things done if he has a solid supporting cast. This season, he’s 5-3 as a starter and has San Francisco in the thick of the playoff race.

The biggest issue surrounding Garoppo is his availability or lack thereof. He’s only suited up for 10 games or more in a season just twice in his career. This led the 49ers to draft Trey Lance in 2021 and if he hadn’t suffered a season-ending injury, Garoppolo would be backing him up.
Garoppolo is scheduled to hit the open market next offseason. At this point of his career, he’s nothing more than a bridge quarterback but his presence would allow Las Vegas’ brass to draft and develop their quarterback of the future in 2023.