Bottom Line

Garoppolo is recovering from March surgery to repair the broken left foot he suffered last season, adding risk to his 2023 profile.

Of course, he wasn’t an exciting option even before that news broke. Garoppolo has never scored as a QB1 and now heads to Vegas to replace Derek Carr, who finished 22nd among QBs in fantasy points per game last year.

Garoppolo is nothing more than a QB3 in superflex and best ball leagues.

What We Learned Last Year

• After seemingly being on the outs in San Francisco all last offseason, Garoppolo agreed to a restructured deal in late August to stay with the team.
• He opened the season backing up QB Trey Lance. But Lance went down with a season-ending right ankle injury in Week 2.
• Garoppolo started the next nine games before he suffered a season-ending broken left foot vs. the Dolphins on December 4.
• Garoppolo’s numbers in those nine games:
  • 247.4 yards per game
  • 1.7 TDs per game
  • 67.8% completion rate
  • 7.9 yards per attempt
• Garoppolo ranked 14th among QBs in fantasy points across those nine games.
• He ranked 19th among 31 qualifiers in Pro Football Focus passing grade.
• Garoppolo’s first two full seasons as 49ers starter (2019 and 2021) found him finishing 24th and then 17th among QBs in fantasy points per game.

What to Expect in 2023

• Garoppolo signed a three-year, $72.75 million contract with the Raiders in free agency. But it wasn’t a smooth process.
• Before that deal was signed, Raiders doctors discovered that Garoppolo needed surgery to repair the broken left foot he suffered in December. A waiver was added to the contract that allows the Raiders to release Garoppolo and pay him $0 for any reason related to the foot injury.
• Garoppolo underwent surgery in March. The Raiders have not given a timetable for Garoppolo’s return to the field, but NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said in early June that Garoppolo is expected to be ready for the start of training camp.
• On top of the broken foot, Garoppolo has also missed time with a torn left ACL, right high-ankle sprain, calf injury, and fracture and UCL tear in his right thumb over the past five seasons. View his complete injury history.
• Garoppolo reunites with HC Josh McDaniels in Vegas. McDaniels was Patriots OC for Garoppolo’s first three NFL seasons – although Garoppolo totaled just 94 pass attempts during that time.
• Garoppolo replaces Derek Carr, who ranked 22nd among QBs in fantasy points per game last year.
• Garoppolo doesn’t look like a tangible upgrade. He beats Carr in career completion rate and yards per attempt but has spent most of his time in Kyle Shanahan’s QB-friendly offense. Carr beat Garoppolo in Pro Football Focus passing grade in four straight seasons from 2018-2021 – although Garoppolo edged Carr last year.
• The Raiders return WR Davante Adams, who’s coming off another big year (100-1,516-14). TE Darren Waller and WR Mack Hollins departed this offseason, but Vegas added WR Jakobi Meyers and second-round rookie TE Michael Mayer. It’s a fine pass-catching corps but falls short of strong.