The Las Vegas Raiders fired head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler on Oct. 31, but that wasn’t the only change the club made. Interim HC Antonio Pierce also benched veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in favor of fourth-round rookie Aidan O’Connell, who will start in Week 9 and “moving forward,” per NFL Network.
Where does that leave Garoppolo, who joined the Raiders primarily on the strength of his relationship with McDaniels? Here’s what Garoppolo’s contract with Las Vegas looks like.
Jimmy Garoppolo Contract Details and Bonuses
Garoppolo was never going to return to the San Francisco 49ers following Brock Purdy’s 2022 emergence, and the Raiders weren’t the only team that expressed interest in the now-31-year-old over the offseason. The New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, and Houston Texans were also believed to have Jimmy G on their radars.
But Las Vegas always appeared to be Garoppolo’s best landing spot, both because the Raiders had a QB vacancy after releasing Derek Carr and because McDaniels and Zeigler were in New England when the Patriots drafted the Eastern Illinois product in 2014.
Garoppolo signed with Vegas on the first day of the 2023 free agent period, inking a three-year, $72.75 million deal that contained $33.75 million in guarantees.
Garoppolo’s deal initially contained an $11.25 million signing bonus and an $11.25 million base salary in 2023. But the Raiders eventually inserted an injury waiver into his contract, with the entire $22.5 million turning into a base salary payment dependent on Garoppolo — who had dealt with a foot injury in San Francisco — passing a physical.
Garoppolo was medically cleared in July, rending his waiver moot. Las Vegas further altered his contract in September, converting $21.3 million of his 2023 base salary into a signing bonus while tacking two void years on to the end of the deal.
Let’s break down Garoppolo’s pact by year:
2023
- Base salary: $1.17 million
- Workout bonus: $220,000
- Per-game roster bonuses: $1.08 million
- Restructure proration: $4.27 million
- Cap hit: $6.73 million
- Yearly cash: $24.25 million
- Running cash: $24.25 million
2024
- Base salary: $11.25 million
- Roster bonus: $11.25 million
- Workout bonus: $220,000
- Per-game roster bonuses: $1.53 million
- Restructure proration: $4.27 million
- Cap hit: $28.52 million
- Yearly cash: $24.25 million
- Running cash: $48.5 million
2025
- Base salary: $22.5 million
- Workout bonus: $220,000
- Per-game roster bonuses: $1.53 million
- Restructure proration: $4.27 million
- Cap hit: $28.52 million
- Yearly cash: $24.25 million
- Running cash: $272.75 million
2026-27
The Raiders used void years from 2026-27. These are essentially dummy seasons that don’t even have a base salary listed.
MORE: Las Vegas Raiders Depth Chart
If Garoppolo makes it all the way to the end of his contract without getting cut, extended, or restructured (unlikely), Las Vegas will have to account for more than $8 million in dead money in 2026.
When Can the Raiders Cut Garoppolo?
With McDaniels and Ziegler already gone, Garoppolo is probably counting down the days in Las Vegas. Barring an injury, he doesn’t seem likely to see the field in a Raiders uniform again.
Garoppolo has an $11.25 million roster bonus due on March 17, 2024. Las Vegas will almost surely release him before the money comes due.
If the Raiders part ways with Garoppolo via a straight release, they’ll absorb $28.32 million in dead money next season. They would clear just $199,000 from their 2024 salary cap.
Instead, Las Vegas will likely designate Garoppolo as a post-June 1 cut, allowing the club to spread his dead money over the 2024 and 2025 campaigns.
Garoppolo would be off the Raiders’ roster immediately, but they’d have to keep his entire $28.52 million cap charge on their books until June 1. After that point, Vegas would have only $15.52 million in Garoppolo dead money on its cap, with $13 million being pushed to 2024.
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