The next era of Las Vegas Raiders football is here as Jimmy Garoppolo was officially announced as the team’s new quarterback.
Garoppolo agreed to a three-year, $67.5 million contract that includes $34 million guaranteed. The commitment signals that the organization is willing to see what Josh McDaniels can do with a familiar signal caller in Garoppolo manning his offense.
The new Raiders quarterback had his first press conference since the signing was official and spoke about what he’s looking to bring to the table. “I’m trying to bring an energy, trying to get everyone on the same page, get everyone rolling in the same direction,” Garoppolo said. “And like I said before, I’m trying to earn it. Just because I’m the quarterback, I’m not the leader because of that. I want to be the leader because guys respect me and believe in me, and I think that starts with hard work. And so, I’ll try to do that as much as I can and take from there.”
As far as his leadership style goes, Garoppolo said he’s going to bring one that his teammates and the fans can rely on. “A real one. I think I started repeating myself, but I think a real one, a passionate one, one that the fans could feel good about. I’m a big believer in that. It’s a spectator sport, we’re putting on a show out there for the fans, and if we could do it in the right way, things will work out.”
Las Vegas fans will surely resonate with the leadership focus that Garopoolo has, but the fact of the matter is that all they’ll really care about are the results. The Raiders are starved for playoff success, and the impatience will only continue to grow until fans see the team heading in the right direction.
Garoppolo on paper has the experience most teams would look for in a quarterback, having been around Super Bowl championship teams and even leading the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance. However, his durability is a legitimate question mark as he’s been forced to miss time the past few seasons due to a variety of injuries. That is a major cause for concern, even more so when considering the money and years given to Garoppolo.
For now, though, everyone will have to wait and see how the new Silver and Black quarterback fares when the season officially kicks off.
