Davante Adams caused quite the ruckus in the football world when his interview with Mina Fader of The Ringer was published. Adams was asked about his opinion on the Las Vegas Raiders‘ offensive philosophy with the addition of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo after releasing Derek Carr.
Adams stated, “We don’t see eye-to-eye on what we think is best for us right now.” The next question that follows is, which is the better quarterback? ESPN’s Ryan Clark weighed in on his opinion.
Ryan Clark Doesn’t Think Jimmy Garoppolo Is More Talented Than Derek Carr
Clark, an analyst and on-air talent for the popular shows Get Up and NFL Live, decided to give his opinion on Adams’ comments. Clark got right to the point and answered the question, is Jimmy Garoppolo more talented than Derek Carr? According to Clark, he’s not.
“He doesn’t have the arm strength. He doesn’t have the mobility. He doesn’t have the availability.”
Clark stated that he’s assuming that Adams doesn’t feel that Garoppolo gives him the best chance to win a championship. A championship in the NFL is one of the few accolades Adams has yet to accomplish in his career.
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During the Fader interview, Adams reiterated he did not come to Las Vegas only to play with his former college quarterback, Derek Carr, but more importantly, to win a Super Bowl; “My goal is to win a Super Bowl with this team. And that’s why I didn’t come here to just be cute with Derek.”
Adams’ comments were enough to spark serious conversation surrounding whether or not he would remain in Las Vegas for the length of his contract. The newest topic is if Adams has a legitimate reason to be upset about the Raiders choosing Garoppolo over Carr.
Is Clark Right?
To dissect Clark’s comments is fairly simple in this case to dissect. Both quarterbacks have been in the NFL for nine seasons. As far as availability goes, Garoppolo has only completed three seasons in which he played in 10+ games. He’s been a frequent flier on the injured reserve list and is currently working to return to the field from a broken foot he sustained in 2022.
Carr, meanwhile, has never missed more than one regular-season game.
Neither player would qualify as a dual-threat quarterback. Carr has rushed for almost 4x as many yards as Garoppolo (845 to 225). In terms of rushing touchdowns, Garoppolo has seven and Carr has six.
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However, when it comes to arm strength and passing ability, there’s no contest. Carr has thrown for 35,222 yards with 217 passing touchdowns. Garoppolo, on the other hand, has logged 14,289 passing yards with 87 touchdowns.
Furthermore, since 2018, Garoppolo is ranked 48th in passes over 20 yards. Since the same year, Adams has ranked third in receptions over 20 yards. If Adams wants to repeat his All-Pro year that he had in 2022 this could be a concern.
The Winning Culture
One of the main knocks against Carr is his lack of postseason success. In his nine-year career, he’s “made” the playoffs twice. Carr missed what would have been his first playoff appearance in 2016 due to an injury. In 2021, he led the Raiders to the postseason but lost in the Wild Card round to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Garoppolo, however, has been to the playoffs seven times and holds a 5-2 record. He also has two Super Bowl rings from his time as Tom Brady’s backup in New England. As the starter, Garoppolo has played in two NFC Championships and a Super Bowl. He has the experience of being a winner and playing in important games with huge ramifications. Carr simply has not.
Does this mean that Clark is wrong? Both statements could be true.
Garoppolo may not be as talented as Carr, but he’s had the luxury of having above-average defenses backing him up. Nevertheless, the Raider’s front office could prefer a quarterback that they are familiar with, who understands their play scheme and is more experienced.
Adams will have to roll the dice in Vegas and hopes he hits the jackpot with Garoppolo.