NFL Rumors: Raiders Expected To Part Ways With Jimmy Garoppolo After Season

Jimmy Garoppolo's debut season with the Las Vegas Raiders took an unexpected and perhaps costly turn when the once-go-to quarterback lost his role after six games.

Garoppolo, who inked a three-year, $72.5 million deal with the Raiders in the offseason, went 3-3 while racking up seven touchdowns and nine interceptions with a 65.5 completion percentage. That, plus several injuries, was enough for the Raiders to experiment and give rookie Aidan O'Connell a shot as the starting signal-caller.

Since then, nothing has changed, begging the question: are the Raiders done with Garoppolo for good? Well... perhaps.

"Barring a turn of events, the Raiders will release Garoppolo, who will end up making just over $35 million for six starts in a Raiders uniform," ESPN's Bill Barnwell wrote Thursday. "And $11.3 million of that figure is in a guaranteed bonus that comes due next season. Vegas will have nearly $29 million in dead money for Garoppolo spread over the next two years on its cap."

Since departing from now-former head coach Josh McDaniels, who was a rumored major Garoppolo advocate from their previous ties with the Patriots, the Raiders have trended upward. They've deferred to O'Connell since Week 9 and the 25-year-old, like Garoppolo, has also gone 3-3.

Yet, that's not an indicator that Las Vegas envisions O'Connell as its franchise quarterback for upcoming years. Based on the production the Raiders received from both Garoppolo and O'Connell, it's likely that Las Vegas will be very active and invested in the quarterback market during the offseason.

Either way, considering Garoppolo didn't do anything to secure his spot while playing under a payday that's proven to backfire on Las Vegas, riding out the rest of the season with O'Connell makes sense. Although, it's not a good sign for Garoppolo's future in a Raiders uniform.

The 6-8 Raiders will play the Kansas City Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos before closing out the season once and for all.