The Late-Round Fantasy Football Podcast: Revisiting the Impact of Rookie Quarterbacks

News of Garoppolo's foot surgery came as something of a surprise given the deal he reportedly signed with the team, and now it would appear as though the team has baked exit-plans into their deal with the former 49er. The team forced Derek Carr out after the 2022 season and now seem to be preparing to be without Garoppolo in 2023. Things are not looking great for Las Vegas.

The Raiders did not retain Jarrett Stidham in free agency, either, leaving them with a depth chart of Brian Hoyer and rookie Aidan O'Connell behind Garoppolo heading into the season. Fans of the team may want to set their sights on the 2024 if things continue to trend in the wrong direction with Garoppolo this offseason.

After several reports about the veteran wideout's future during the offseason including several trade rumors, Hopkins will head into the free agent market after he played three seasons with the Cardinals. Expect the 30-year old to draw plenty of interest without his previous contract obligations while Marquise Brown should see lead volume among Arizona's receiving group.

On 93 targets last season, Hopkins ranked 33rd among his position with a 72.9 Pro Football Focus offensive rating while producing 64 receptions for 717 yards and 3 touchdowns and 1.98 yards per route run.

Smith-Njigba was kept out of the Seahawks' rookie minicamp while they monitor the hamstring issue that forced him to miss most of his final season at Ohio State, but the team's starting quarterback sang the first-round pick's praises after witnessing him participate in OTAs. "Jaxon’s been tremendous so far, and I’m looking forward to seeing him grow," he told Dugar after OTAs.

Smith-Njigba's sophomore season at Ohio State thrust him into the national spotlight after he out-produced future first-round picks Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson in the Buckeyes' high-flying offense. He finished that season with 95 catches for 1,606 yards and 9 touchdowns, and should join D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in the Seahawks' starting lineup before long.

The 49ers are planning to enter the season with Brock Purdy (elbow) as their QB1, but Lance has been reportedly taking the first-team reps in OTAs while Purdy works his way back from offseason surgery. It's great to see Lance healthy enough to play after breaking his ankle in Week 2 of the 2022 season, and it's likely the third-year quarterback will be the subject of frequent news updates throughout the summer.

Lance has made just four starts for the 49ers since the team drafted him third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, but it's unclear whether the team has soured on the physically gifted quarterback during that time. He could find himself starting for another franchise before the end of the season, but for the time being he's ahead of offseason addition Sam Darnold in the pecking order.

Things appeared bleak shortly after Purdy suffered an elbow injury during the 49ers' devastating NFC Championship game loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but it seems like the breakout quarterback avoided any worst case scenarios. He is now reportedly on track to begin throwing as early as next week after undergoing surgery after the playoffs and is expected to be ready to start for Week 1.

The 49ers seem intent on having Purdy lead their team come Week 1, and his shocking performance as a rookie provided a pretty good case as to why. He finished the regular season with 1,374 passing yards and 13 touchdowns to 4 interceptions, and rose to the challenge during the playoffs until his injury. Unless we hear otherwise during the summer, Purdy seems to have locked up a starting gig.

Taylor has been present but inactive at the Colts' early OTAs while he continues to rehab the ankle he had offseason surgery on. The ankle injury severely limited the star running back in 2022, restricting him to just 11 games while he averaged a career-low 4.5 yards per carry. By all accounts we've heard so far, Taylor should be 100% healthy heading into the 2023 season.

The Colts should be looking to lean on Taylor again in the 2023 season, especially as they work first-round pick Anthony Richardson into the mix. With Taylor and Richardson threatening opposing defenses on the ground, the Colts will have an opportunity to field a truly exciting offense under new head coach Shane Steichen this season.