In order to strengthen the offensive line and safeguard Jimmy Garoppolo, the Las Vegas Raiders signed star quarterback Greg Van Roten from the Buffalo Bills.
The OL spent the 2022 season with the Buffalo Bills, appearing in 16 games with four starts at center. He has played for the Packers, Panthers, and Jets over the course of seven seasons, appearing in 77 games.
The supporting hand of Jimmy Garoppolo has arrived
On Friday, the Raiders announced that they had signed free agent Roten to their roster, but no specifics of the agreement were provided. Poor offensive line play by the Raiders prevents quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from ever succeeding and the quarterback also needs strong support from an offensive lineman.
Fortunately, the team has seemingly found arguably the best protection for the quarterback by signing the Bills’ OL, who is able to play as an offensive lineman, guard, and center.
#Raiders signed Greg Van Roten
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) May 19, 2023
The 31-year-old, who finished Week 6’s game against the Atlanta Falcons by completing 29 of 41 pass attempts for 296 yards and a touchdown, is seventh all-time in passing yards and passing touchdowns in the history of the team with a passer rating of 100.3 and 2,437 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions in 11 games in his final campaign.
The former 49ers player has the highest winning percentage among NFL quarterbacks with at least 10 starts since 1950 and is figuratively among the top 1% of all throwers on Earth.
He played for the San Francisco 49ers for the past six seasons, appearing in Super Bowl LIV for San Francisco in 2019 with a 38-17 victory as a starter. He also won four of his six playoff games with the team. He and the Raiders have agreed to a three-year, $67.5m contract including $34m in guaranteed money.
Josh McDaniels, the offensive coordinator for the Raiders during Garoppolo’s three seasons with the New England Patriots, joined Jimmy with this move. Already, this pair is looking promising toward a successful campaign for the Raiders, and the addition of this talented offensive lineman greatly improves and strengthens the team’s roster.
