Round and round goes the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback merry-go-round. When will it stop? Nobody knows. But hopefully soon. After a week of big names specu-ported to Pittsburgh. Chicago’s Justin Fields. Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins. Denver’s Russell Wilson. We’re now on the C-tier list of candidates. Evidently, that starts with Jimmy Garoppolo. Despite being released by the Las Vegas Raiders last week and hit with a two-game suspension, NFL Network’s Rich Eisen doesn’t think his football career is cooked.
On the latest edition of their weekly Overreaction Monday segment, Eisen was asked by producer Chris Brockman if it’s an overreaction to think Garoppolo’s starting days are done. After confirming it was an overreaction, Eisen floated the Steelers as Garoppolo’s next landing spot.
“Maybe he’s a guy who winds up in Pittsburgh,” Eisen said when asked where he could land. “Backing up Kenny Pickett? Honestly.”
All part of speculation season, to be clear, and Eisen made known he didn’t really know where Garoppolo’s next stop would be. He quickly wore out his welcome with the Raiders, released after signing a three-year, $67.5 million deal with the team in March of 2023.
A massive mistake by the old regime of head coach Josh McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler, who leaned on their Patriots connections with Garoppolo. He started just six games. Las Vegas went 3-3 over that span but won in spite of Garoppolo, who threw more interceptions (nine) than touchdowns (seven). Pittsburgh was part of the defensive damage, picking him three times in a 23-18 Week Three victory. After the game, even Steelers’ players were wondering what Garoppolo was thinking.
He’d make only three more starts before being benched for rookie Aidan O’Connell.
Turning 33 later this year, suspended after violating the league’s PED policy, with a game clearly declining, it’s hard to see who would hand Garoppolo the keys. But Eisen, citing names like Zach Wilson and Ryan Fitzpatrick, who showed starting staying power, doesn’t believe Garoppolo is done.
“Remember when Jimmy Garoppolo, the quarterback in question, was told you’re so far gone, we’re not even giving you a playbook at the start of training camp,” Eisen said. “And at the end of training camp, he was signed. And then wound up being the starter. Get out of here with saying his days are over being a starter.”
The playbook is a reference to 2022, his final year with the San Francisco 49ers, when the team hardly included him in training camp as they set their sights on developing Trey Lance.
“According to Peter King of NBC Sports, the veteran quarterback doesn’t even have a playbook. He also reportedly doesn’t attend quarterback or team meetings and “barely knows new quarterbacks coach Brian Griese.”
But by Week Two, Garoppolo replaced an injured Lance before his own foot injury knocked him out for the year, leading to Brock Purdy’s first start.
Though Garoppolo would no longer command serious money, landing with the Steelers isn’t logical. He would be more of a clear backup to Kenny Pickett than actual competition and wouldn’t elevate Pittsburgh’s passing game. It’s arguably more realistic than Fields or Cousins or Wilson, but it would be about the least exciting move the team could make.
