Cleveland Browns: 3 QBs who could force a release to replace Deshaun Watson

2. Jimmy Garoppolo, Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders signed Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason after he spent the past six years with the San Francisco 49ers. During his time there, he was continually winning games for Kyle Shanahan. Garoppolo even took the Niners to the Super Bowl in 2019 and nearly made it again in 2021.

While he led them to a 38-17 record as the starter, he was also continually seen as someone who could be replaced. Garoppolo was known for making some poor decisions and also had a long injury history. Despite this, he continued to find his way onto the field and gave his team a chance to win.

That’s why Josh McDaniels, who was the offensive coordinator early in Garoppolo’s career while both were in New England. This time, however, the two were unable to find success. Garoppolo was just 3-3 as the starter and had more interceptions (9) than touchdowns (7). He was eventually benched in favor of rookie Aidan O’Connell.

With O’Connell in control of the starting job, and the Raiders looking lively now that they moved on from McDaniels, Garoppolo could ask for his release. If so, he’s someone that would make a lot of sense for the Browns. Kevin’s Stefanski doesn’t need a quarterback who throws for 400 yards every game but rather just needs someone capable of making the right reads. Garoppolo can do that and has no issues letting the running game and defense do the heavy lifting.