Silver Minings: Jimmy Garoppolo looking “earn everything”

Mar 18, 2023 - 2:01 PM

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After a slight delay, the Las Vegas Raiders officially signed Jimmy Garoppolo as the team’s next starting quarterback yesterday. The Raiders introduced Garoppolo to the fanbase Friday afternoon with his long-awaited press conference and one theme that stood out is the veteran QB is looking to earn his keep with his new club.

When asked if he sees himself as Las Vegas’ long-term starter, Garoppolo replied:

“I’m coming in with the mindset that I need to earn everything. I don’t want to be given any, ‘You’re the franchise guy’ or whatever. I want to come in and earn it. I think that’ll come through hard work, working with [my] teammates, [and] being at the facility. All those little things will play a role, but I don’t want to be given anything. I want to earn it.”

That’s certainly been a topic of discussion with the nine-year pro who turns 32 years old in Novemember. He signed a three-year contract that could essentially function as a two-year deal, and drafting another signal-caller next month isn’t out of the question for the Raiders. But we’ll cross all of those bridges when we get to them and it sounds like Garoppolo has the right mindset going into his new gig.

Jimmy G also weighed in on how he plans to lead the team and earn the respect of his teammates, stating:

“I’m trying to bring an energy, trying to get everyone on the same page, get everyone rolling in the same direction. And like I said before, I’m trying to earn it. Just because I’m the quarterback, I’m not the leader because of that. I want to be the leader because guys respect me and believe in me, and I think that starts with hard work. And so, I’ll try to do that as much as I can and take from there.”

How will he accomplish that? By being himself and leading by example.

“I don’t want to force anything [and] be unauthentic. I just want to be myself and it’s done me well in the past. I think the hard-working part, setting the example for the young guys, bringing everyone along, [and] getting everyone on the same page. I think those are the little things that go a long way, and like I said before, I’m trying to bring an energy to this building [and] get everyone going in the right direction. And when you have that passion, when you play with passion on the field, I think it translates to the building, too. And that’s what I’m trying to do.”

Grappolo made a strong first impression in his introductory press conference, now it’s time to back it up on the field.

In other Raiders’ links:

• Jakobi Meyers’ signing considered a “steal”: “He isn’t widely regarded as a No. 1, but then again, the same could be said for Christian Kirk, who received an average of $18 million per year as a free agent in 2022,” ESPN’s Seth Walder wrote. “Given that, consider me shocked at how cheap Meyers came to the Raiders. Las Vegas got a steal at the most important non-QB position in the sport.”
• Hunter Renfrow gets a payday: the wideout’s roster bonus and salary became fully guaranteed yesterday which is a good sign that he’ll be sticking around.
• Meyers’ film breakdown: the new wideout’s strength aligns with Garoppolo’s...
• Bears’ asking price for No. 1 was STEEP: Tashan Reed and Jeff Howe of The Athletic confirmed that Las Vegas was in the sweepstakes to trade up with Chicago, but they were looking for this year’s first- and second-round picks, two future first-round picks and another future second-round pick.