Few people in the football world know the importance of a good, reliable NFL quarterback better than Josh McDaniels, which is why the next few months will be fascinating for the new reported Las Vegas Raiders coach.
McDaniels reportedly is set to take over the Raiders, which whom he inherits a good-not-great quarterback in Derek Carr. Carr is a fine signal-caller, who can be very effective, but just how enthralled McDaniels and new general manager Dave Ziegler are with the veteran QB will be a fascinating storyline to begin the new Vegas era.
If McDaniels wants to go in a different direction, he’ll have no shortage of options this offseason, and he could go after a familiar face. Just about everyone expects the San Francisco 49ers to move on from Jimmy Garoppolo, especially after a regrettable end to the NFC Championship Game on Sunday night. If and when that happens, could Garoppolo reunite with his first offensive coordinator?
The connection is obvious. McDaniels coached Garoppolo when the latter backed up Tom Brady with the New England Patriots before Brady’s success led the Pats to trade his supposed successor. It’s not the craziest idea to think McDaniels might want someone who knows his system to install it in the desert.
However, that idea is far from certain.
“You think Josh wants Jimmy to run his 2-minute offense after Sunday?” an unnamed NFL executive said to The Athletic’s Mike Sando. “Jimmy throws two passes behind the line of scrummage when everyone knows incomplete passes are your friend in those situations. He’s played way too much ball to look like some kid from Southwest Texas State in the fourth quarter of a preseason game. Carr is dangerous enough in 2-minute that Josh should have some fascination with him.”
One idea worth exploring, though, would be how much McDaniels believes he could coach it out of Garoppolo — or any other potential QB. In a limited sample size (69 dropbacks), Garoppolo produced just one turnover-worthy play (1.3%) when starting for Brady in 2016, per Pro Football Focus. He was never below 2% in San Francisco, including 30 turnover-worthy plays this season, a number eclipsed only by Ben Roethlisberger — who had 136 more dropbacks. Garoppolo actually led all starters in turnover-worthy play percentage.
Plus, it might make more sense for McDaniels to talk Brady out of retirement to join him in Sin City, anyway.
