Raiders GM open to drafting QB to compete with Garoppolo

HENDERSON, Nev. — Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is no stranger to competition.

When the San Francisco 49ers moved up to No. 3 overall in the 2021 draft to grab Trey Lance, it wasn’t to secure a high-quality backup. The team’s plan was to move on from Garoppolo when the time was right.

Now, with the Raiders holding the No. 7 overall pick in this year’s draft, general manager Dave Ziegler said Friday he is open to having a competition if the right quarterback is available when Las Vegas is on the clock.

“Just philosophically the way that (coach) Josh (McDaniels) and I believe that we’re going to build this roster is any opportunity that we have a chance to improve the competition, and if that means it’s at the quarterback position and there’s a competition there, we think that brings out the best of our players,” Ziegler said.

Garoppolo signed a three-year, $67.5 million contract on March 17, with $34 million guaranteed. The nine-year veteran figured to take over for Derek Carr, the Raiders’ starting quarterback since 2014 who was released and subsequently signed with the New Orleans Saints.

Ziegler described Garoppolo as “a very high-quality” quarterback but said he and McDaniels have to keep their options open given the array of quarterbacks in this year’s class.

That means Garoppolo could again serve as a bridge to the future.

“I think that anytime you can find a young player at that position that’s going to have an impact on your team, you have to keep an open mind to that,” Ziegler said. “I think to close that door and just say that that’s not something you would do because of X, Y and Z, that’s not the business that we’re in.

“The value of that position and having a young guy that can come in and play and contribute. We’ve seen where those contracts have gone on quarterbacks, too, so there’s obviously an advantage of having a quarterback on a rookie contract in terms of roster construction and those types of things.”

Ziegler made it clear that he and McDaniels plan to look at the best available players in the first round and take into consideration the team’s roster needs.

“I think the priority is finding someone that’s going to have an impact,” Ziegler said. “You want to find a starting-level player at that spot, there’s no doubt about that. And I think along with that, you want to find a player that hopefully fits a need that you have.

“We want to find a player that fits what we look for in a Raiders player. We want to find someone that has a passion for football. We want to find someone that is someone that has some upside, that has some explosiveness to their game that can impact the game in a positive way, and that’s going to fit our organization I’d say, and have a positive impact on the organization as a person too.”