Jimmy Garoppolo suspension could make it more likely Broncos sign him in 2024

Someone who has been seen as a bridge QB fit for the Denver Broncos is Jimmy Garoppolo, and recent news of his suspension could make it more likely he will end up in Denver. OK, so, this is only my opinion, and I am not at all saying that the Denver Broncos should make this move, but I think the suspension could benefit the team.

For starters, the Broncos are obviously going to be making some tweaks to their quarterback room this offseason, at least, that's what all signs are pointing toward. I think the likely first step is to rip the Band-Aid off and just cut Russell Wilson. The Broncos and Wilson could work to come to some type of revised agreement for 2024, but to me it's unlikely.

Cutting Russell Wilson would be a history move and an insane dead cap situation for the Broncos to deal with. However, that might be the way forward for the team. If this does happen, or if Wilson is not on the team in 2024 with some other scenario, the Broncos might go the cheaper route at QB for the next few seasons.

Jarrett Stidham signed a two-year, $10 million deal with the team last offseason. The Broncos can easily move on from Stidham this offseason. There is nothing holding the team back financially from making that move. Moving on from Stidham would likely be seen as an effort by Denver to improve their QB2/bridge QB situation.

Stidham is an average backup as far as I am concerned. I do think the Broncos can upgrade from Stidham, and someone who could make sense is Jimmy Garoppolo, who will be suspended for two games in 2024:

The Raiders cutting Garoppolo was a move that they were probably always going to make. When Jimmy G does become a free agent, the Broncos would make sense as a logical destination. Jimmy Garoppolo has had an interesting career; he's won a Super Bowl as a backup. He's been a starter in the Super Bowl, and he's also been benched for a rookie.

When you consider the stretch of success he previously had with the San Francisco 49ers, it's hard to find a better bridge QB option than Garoppolo, who went to Eastern Illinois, the same college as Sean Payton (for what that's worth). Garoppolo has played best in a rhythm and timing offense, the type of offense that Sean Payton runs.

So not only would he be a good scheme fit, but his experience actually gives him a high-ish ceiling in Denver. He'll be cheap considering his suspension and his poor play in 2023, and signing Garopplo likely means Denver drafts a QB.

Well, if the Broncos did that, let's say, by drafting JJ McCarthy, the Broncos top-two QBs in 2024 would likely be Garoppolo and McCarthy. I think without the suspension, Garoppolo would be seen as the starter for a certain amount of time while McCarthy gets up to speed in the NFL.

This scenario has happened across the NFL with rookie QBs. Both Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes were backups during their rookie years before taking over as the full-time starter in year two. Jackson did get some starts during his rookie season, but began that year on the bench.

Well, another example I want to reference is the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020 when they were prepared to start Tyrod Taylor to open up the season, with then-rookie Justin Herbert backing him up. A freak pre-game injury forced Herbert into the lineup, and since then, Herbert has been one of the more prolific passers in the NFL, proving that he did not need to sit on the bench as the QB2.

Well, with Garoppolo and McCarthy potentially splitting the reps in the offseason, McCarthy (or another rookie QB they draft) would likely get the starting QB job to open the season, as Garoppolo would be suspended. And who's to say that the Broncos rookie QB couldn't be ready his rookie season? I think the suspension could actually favor Denver, as it would likely force a hypothetical rookie QB into the lineup.

And you never know, perhaps that ends up working out for the Denver Broncos.