Jimmy Garoppolo and Jordan Love are down to 12 games.
Twelve games to prove they’re the quarterbacks of their respective franchises going forward.
On Monday night, the Raiders outlasted the Packers, 17–13, in an outing neither offense should be proud of. Las Vegas and Green Bay each sit at 2–3 after a night where both failed to gain 300 total yards.
Moving forward, there are questions galore. Both the Raiders and Packers are proud franchises with rich histories. And in each case, the fan bases are short on patience.
For Las Vegas, it’s the pressure of being irrelevant for the better part of the last 20 years. The Raiders reached the Super Bowl in 2002. Since then, they’ve qualified for the postseason twice without a victory either time.
For Green Bay, it’s being used to excellence under center. From 1992 to 2022, the Packers had Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. Of the 498 regular-season games during that span, only 30 games were started by other quarterbacks.
Now, it’s Garoppolo in Las Vegas and Love in Green Bay, and neither will be there for long without substantial improvement.
Come the 2024 NFL draft, the incoming rookie class stands to be loaded with quarterback talent. There will be Caleb Williams (USC) and Drake Maye (UNC) at the top, but several others could be first-rounders, including Bo Nix (Oregon), Michael Penix Jr. (Washington), Riley Leonard (Duke), Shedeur Sanders (Colorado), Quinn Ewers (Texas) and J.J. McCarthy (Michigan).
No draft class has ever eclipsed the 1983 crop, which produced six in the first round (including Hall of Famers John Elway, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino).
Looking at their contracts, Garoppolo and Love don’t have security.
Garoppolo signed a three-year, $72.75 million deal in March, going from the 49ers to the Raiders. However, he could be dealt next year with the acquiring team taking on $11.25 million in base salary for 2024. Otherwise, Las Vegas could allow Garoppolo to compete with a rookie before moving on prior to the final year of his contract taking effect.
As for Love, he signed a one-year extension this offseason which runs through 2024, with both sides eschewing the fifth-year option. With his cap hit only $7.5 million next year, he could be either a cheap starter or a mid-cost backup.
To this juncture, Garoppolo has no case for staying around in his current capacity. Through four games (he missed Week 4 with a concussion), the 32-year-old has thrown six touchdowns against seven interceptions.
And while it’s not perfect, the Raiders have a solid supporting cast. They dress a top-five receiver in All-Pro Davante Adams along with free-agent signing Jakobi Meyers and second-round rookie tight end Michael Mayer. Garoppolo should be able to put up decent stats. So far, no luck.
In a league geared toward offense, the Raiders have yet to score 20 points this season.
Love has been promising at times, maddening in others. He’s only completing 55.6% of his passes, and after throwing six touchdowns against the Bears and Falcons, he’s since tossed two scores with six picks.
Of course, Love is in an unconventional position. He sat for three years behind Rodgers despite being a first-round choice in 2020, starting only once before this season. He’s also surrounded by an incredibly green yet intriguing group of weapons, including rookie tight ends Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft, rookie receiver Jayden Reed, and second-year receivers Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs.
But this is the NFL. Nobody wants to wait, and most franchises won’t. They certainly won’t if a better and cheaper option arises.
For Garoppolo and Love, they have 12 games to cement their respective statuses.
Otherwise, they’ll leave their fates to teams long on options and short on patience.
