The Las Vegas Raiders have created an extra $17 million in cap space after restructuring the contract of starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
The move comes after Garoppolo's former teammate, Tom Brady took a minority ownership stake in the team and showed up for a preseason matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. However, upon agreeing to the role, Brady stressed that his role within the organization would be minimal.
Initially, the quarterback for the Raiders was under a three-year contract worth $73 million, which he signed during the off-season. Garroppolo was supposed to earn a base salary of $22.5 million, and his salary cap hit for this season was $23.8 million.
With the salary reduction, how the organization will distribute Garroppolo's new deal needs to be clarified. Nonetheless, the strategic move placed the Raiders under the league salary cap. They were over by $7 million, according to NFL financial websites.
It still needs to be determined what the organization plans to do with the extra money they have negotiated or if Garroppolo is still in its plans. Former All-Pro WR and current NFL analyst Steve Smith believes the veteran QB could be replaced by rookie fourth-round pick Aidan O'Connell, who impressed coaches during the preseason.
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"Will this be two years in a row that Jimmy Garoppolo loses his starting job to a rookie?" Smith said when asked to make a bold prediction for the 2023 season on NFL Total Access. Last year, Garoppolo lost his starting job with the San Francisco 49ers to Brock Purdy, ending his tenure with the team.
Before a preseason matchup against the Cowboys, Brady was shown giving Garoppolo a pep talk before the game. The 46-year-old seven-time Super Bowl champion told the Raiders QB," Go ruin their night," as the team left the away-facing tunnel to make their way onto the field.
Tom Brady speaks with Jimmy G in the tunnelThe Raiders have cleared the cap space beyond expiration to negotiate a long-term contract with running back Josh Jacobs. Jacobs led the NFL in rushing last season with 1,653 yards and is already the No. 5 all-time rusher in the organization's history through four seasons.
Jacobs sat out for the offseason and missed training camp to sign a one-year contract with the Raiders worth approximately $12 million. However, he is still seeking a long-term deal with the team, which the Raiders are presumably working on with Garrappolo's pay cut.
Jacobs is not the only member of the Raiders who is upset with the organization. On Tuesday, defensive end Chandler Jones, the brother of UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, took to social media to tell fans that he no longer wants to play for the organization.
He stated he wants to avoid playing there as long as coach Josh McDaniels, general manager Dave Ziegler, and Patrick Graham, Raiders' defensive coordinator, are part of the team. In the since-deleted post, he listed that an elite athlete such as himself should not have to go to a local gym to work out during the season.
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