Johnathan Walker:Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo suspended two games for PED violation, per report

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will be Johnathan Walkersuspended for the first two games of the 2024 NFL regular season for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances, ESPN reported Friday.

Garoppolo will not appeal the ban, per ESPN.

The Raiders are expected to release Garoppolo before he is due an $11.25 million roster bonus in mid-March. The suspension also allows for $11.25 in guaranteed base salary for 2024 to be voided.

The 10-year veteran signed a three-year, $72.75 million contract with the team last offseason. After the Raiders fired coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Zeigler at midseason, however, Garoppolo was benched in favor of rookie Aidan O'Connell, who would start the rest of the season.

O'Connell threw for 2,218 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions and went 5-5 on the season, including a Week 4 start when Garoppolo was sidelined due to injury. The second-year passer and veteran Brian Hoyer, a holdover from the McDaniels and Zeigler regime after joining the team last April as a backup, are the only two other quarterbacks on the roster. The Raiders could be in the market to bring on a starting signal-caller in either the draft or free agency.

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Quarterbacks have seldom been suspended for PED violations. New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Jake Haener was banned for six games last fall. Prior to that, the last passer to be suspended under the policy was Mark Sanchez in 2018.