Levi Edwards

The Las Vegas Raiders have a new sheriff in town.

Jimmy Garoppolo signed with the Silver and Black on Friday, following six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. The Raiders' new quarterback has a proven track record of winning football games with a Super Bowl appearance under his belt. He also comes into the building with some familiar faces around him, prepared to get to work on the upcoming season.

Here are a few things Raider Nation should know about the new quarterback in the desert.

Raiders sign QB Jimmy GaroppoloQuick Hits: Newest Raiders eager to put on the Silver and BlackPer Sources: The latest Raiders free agency rumorsLinebacker to quarterback

Family is important to Garoppolo, as he has three brothers he's extremely close with. He has previously said he looked up to his two older brothers growing up, as they both played linebacker at Rolling Meadows High School in Illinois. The quarterback initially wanted to follow in their footsteps and play linebacker as well.

Garoppolo was a running back and linebacker before his high school coach, Doug Millsaps, switched him to quarterback. After watching him throw tight spirals during freshman practice one day, Millsaps told Garoppolo that he would be the starting quarterback in due time.

Garoppolo agreed to give quarterback a shot, under the compromise with his coach he could continue to play linebacker as well.

Illinois football legend

He is one of four players on an active NFL roster to have won the NCAA Walter Payton Award.

The award is given annually to the most outstanding offensive player in FCS football. As a two-star high school recruit, he committed to Eastern Illinois - throwing for 5,050 yards and 53 touchdowns his senior season. He was also named OVC Male Athlete of the Year, OVC Offensive Player of the Year and College Football Performance FCS National Quarterback of the Year.

He and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo are the only two players from Eastern Illinois to win the award.

Garoppolo/McDaniels reunion

The New England Patriots drafted Garoppolo in the second round (62nd overall) in the 2014 NFL Draft. In three seasons in Foxborough, Massachusetts, he backed up seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady, with Raiders Head Coach Josh McDaniels as offensive coordinator.

In the limited action Garoppolo saw in New England, he has success in McDaniels' offense. Garoppolo threw for 496 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions and completed over 68 percent of his passes in two starts. He was also part of two of the Pats' Super Bowl teams (XLIX and LI).

Comeback Jimmy

After he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, Garoppolo dealt with injuries in his first two seasons there before having a wildly successful 2019 campaign.

He led the 49ers to a 13-3 record and set career-highs in passing yards (3,978), passing touchdowns (27) and fourth-quarter comeback victories (four). He was also a finalist for AP Comeback Player of the Year.

San Francisco went on a tear in the postseason, advancing to Super Bowl LIV where they ultimately fell to the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-20.

Winning ways

Garoppolo has won a lot of games as a starting quarterback in the NFL. He has a 40-17 record as a starting quarterback, along with a 4-2 postseason record in his nine NFL seasons. Despite his season ending in Week 13 due to injury, he went 7-3 as a starter in 2022, throwing for 2,437 yards and a 15:4 touchdown to interception ratio.