Jimmy Garoppolo’s suspension eases some of the tension for Denver Broncos supporters, Russell Wilson is probably headed out, leaving the Denver Broncos with a major quarterback void. The Broncos need to find a reliable starting quarterback, and although all indications go to the 2024 NFL Draft, Sean Payton may carry on the team’s recent success in acquiring veterans through trades or free agency.
As the 2024 offseason approached, Jimmy Garoppolo of the Las Vegas Raiders was one potential contender. But now that Garoppolo has been given a two-game ban by the NFL, Broncos Country can easily cross him off the list.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is being suspended two games for violating the NFL’s performance enhancing substances policy, league sources told ESPN.
The policy violation is said to be related to Garoppolo using a prescribed medication without having a valid therapeutic use exemption from the league, according to sources.
Garoppolo will not appeal the suspension and will miss the first two games of the 2024 season, per sources.
It’s an unfortunate development for the Raiders (cry us a river, right?) because it hurts Garoppolo’s value on the trade market. And make no mistake, the Raiders were angling to trade him after benching him last year for the rookie Aidan O’Connell.
Even though it was the first game of the season and the Raiders defeated the Broncos, Garoppolo’s three victories as Vegas’ starting quarterback were scarce. In the games he started the previous season, he finished 3-3 while passing for 1,205 yards, seven touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
Following Josh McDaniels’ dismissal, Garoppolo was benched by the Raiders. It’s unknown if Antonio Pierce, the team’s interim head coach at the time, made the choice or if it was organizational in nature. In any case, O’Connell intervened and didn’t turn back.
With his 33rd season approaching, it’s obvious that Garoppolo’s value in the NFL has dropped. The league didn’t appear to think he could succeed outside of a Kyle Shanahan scheme, but McDaniels, a member of the New England organization that selected Garoppolo in the second round of the 2014 draft, was one person who could give it some hope.
In the meantime, the Broncos have selected two quarterbacks since Peyton Manning’s retirement in 2016: Drew Lock in the second round and Paxton Lynch in the first. Although neither quarterback was able to make an impact in Denver, it is still unclear in retrospect whether they had the complete trust and backing of the team at the time.
The Broncos’ post-Manning M.O. at quarterback has taken a veteran stop-gap approach, from Case Keenum, to Joe Flacco, to Teddy Bridgewater, and even Russell Wilson. For too long, the team convinced itself that it was one middle-of-the-road quarterback away from winning it all again.
But Payton is a fresh set of eyes, and he’s smart enough to know that if you continue to do what you’ve always done, you’ll continue to get what you’ve always got, so to speak. While we can’t eliminate the possibility of the Broncos seeking a veteran, the team is in a decent position in the draft this year, holding the No. 12 overall pick, to land one of the class’ top quarterback prospects.
Sure, there are plenty of other gaps on the team besides quarterback, but finding and signing a legitimate franchise player takes precedence over those worries until the Broncos address the most significant position in sports. For the time being, supporters can confidently scratch Garoppolo off the list, but this is the NFL, and the Broncos are involved.
