5 Las Vegas Athletes Who Left the City
Here are some Las Vegas sports stars we'll all miss and others we probably won't. Join us for 5 Las Vegas sports stars who recently left Sin City.
Let’s be honest. Joshua Jacobs never got the respect he deserved with the Las Vegas Raiders, so he left for Green Bay. This was after the Raiders declined his fifth-year option in 2022 and tried to franchise tag him.
Jacobs finished the 2022 season with 340 carries for 1653 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 93 first downs. His play should have resulted in a better deal, but the team tried hardball tactics instead.
Eventually, Jacobs was forced into a $10.1 million, one-year contract with the Raiders. His final numbers for the 2023 season were 233 attempts for 805 yards, six touchdowns, and only 34 first downs.
The Raiders claim they tried negotiating a better deal with Jacobs, but he signed with the Packers during the offseason. In a later interview, Jacobs admitted the lack of respect ultimately led him to leave the organization.
No one expected Jonathon Marchessault to leave the Las Vegas Golden Knights. While reports circulated that Marchessault might be the odd man out due to his contract, there was always hope that something would get done. This never happened, and Marchessault decided to sign with the Nashville Predators during free agency.
"It was pretty tough, to be honest. The tough part of it was there wasn't a decent offer on the table," Marchessault said. "It's part of the business and they probably have other plans. That's the business we're in so you move on and I think Nashville was the best fit for me."
Marchessault finished the 2023-2024 season with 42 goals, 27 assists, and 69 points. He also participated in seven playoff games, scoring two goals and one assist for the Golden Knights.
[caption id="attachment_57104" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Source. WNBA[/caption]
Retirement is never easy. It’s a sad reminder that nothing is forever, and the pressure you put on your body now can have effects later. This is the case for Candace Parker, who retired from the Las Vegas Aces during the 2024 WNBA preseason because of an ongoing foot injury.
She was initially injured just before the midpoint of the 2023 season and remained out for the rest of the year. Despite the setback, she still averaged nine points and five rebounds per game. These numbers boosted the bench effort and gave the team a needed edge. That edge is now gone, which is at least part of why the Aces are struggling.
More: Worst moments of the Las Vegas Aces 2024 season so far
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Source. ESPN[/caption]
Jimmy Garoppolo is the worst quarterback to ever play for the Las Vegas Raiders. He started his career with the Raiders by not disclosing an ankle surgery he needed during the offseason, which forced Las Vegas to reschedule his press conference and rework his deal.
While Garoppolo's lying should have been enough for the Raiders to toss him, Josh McDaniels was sure he could work with him. The basis for this assumption is that McDaniels believed he could implement the Patriot way after serving as an assistant head coach under Bill Belichick. He thought he could turn Garoppolo into the next Tom Brady.
Instead, Garoppolo quickly sank to a 3-3 record in six starts. He was also injured twice during the season before being relieved for good by Aidan O’Connell. Garoppolo finished the year with 110 completions in 169 attempts for 1205 yards, seven touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
[caption id="attachment_57106" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Source. DraftKings[/caption]
The biggest surprise on this list has to go to the sudden departure of Logan Thompson from the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Thompson was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2020 but didn’t get his first real taste of playing time until the 2021-2022 NHL season. Thompson went 10-5-3 in 2021, grabbing 569 saves and a GOA of 2.68.
He became a more critical part of the rotation in the 2022-2023 season, where he got paired with Adin Hill. Despite sharing the net, Thompson finished that year with a record of 21-13 and 3 with 1132 saves. He also posted a career-best 2.65 average that year as well.
Things got shaky for Thompson in the 2023-2024 season when an upper-body injury hindered him. This wasn’t the first time Thompson suffered an injury that took him out of action, and this might have contributed to his getting traded.
In the end, Thompson is pretty much a victim of circumstance. There was probably too little cap space to keep him there, and his injury history didn't help. Maybe it was just an investment the Golden Knights didn’t want to make. It's business first with Las Vegas, and Thompson’s is just the latest victim.
Next: Where your favorite Las Vegas sports stars rank in jersey sales
#5 Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders running back
Let’s be honest. Joshua Jacobs never got the respect he deserved with the Las Vegas Raiders, so he left for Green Bay. This was after the Raiders declined his fifth-year option in 2022 and tried to franchise tag him.
Jacobs finished the 2022 season with 340 carries for 1653 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 93 first downs. His play should have resulted in a better deal, but the team tried hardball tactics instead.
Eventually, Jacobs was forced into a $10.1 million, one-year contract with the Raiders. His final numbers for the 2023 season were 233 attempts for 805 yards, six touchdowns, and only 34 first downs.
The Raiders claim they tried negotiating a better deal with Jacobs, but he signed with the Packers during the offseason. In a later interview, Jacobs admitted the lack of respect ultimately led him to leave the organization.
#4 Jonathon Marchessault, Las Vegas Golden Knights right wing
No one expected Jonathon Marchessault to leave the Las Vegas Golden Knights. While reports circulated that Marchessault might be the odd man out due to his contract, there was always hope that something would get done. This never happened, and Marchessault decided to sign with the Nashville Predators during free agency.
"It was pretty tough, to be honest. The tough part of it was there wasn't a decent offer on the table," Marchessault said. "It's part of the business and they probably have other plans. That's the business we're in so you move on and I think Nashville was the best fit for me."
Marchessault finished the 2023-2024 season with 42 goals, 27 assists, and 69 points. He also participated in seven playoff games, scoring two goals and one assist for the Golden Knights.
#3 Candace Parker, Las Vegas Aces forward
[caption id="attachment_57104" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Source. WNBA[/caption]Retirement is never easy. It’s a sad reminder that nothing is forever, and the pressure you put on your body now can have effects later. This is the case for Candace Parker, who retired from the Las Vegas Aces during the 2024 WNBA preseason because of an ongoing foot injury.
She was initially injured just before the midpoint of the 2023 season and remained out for the rest of the year. Despite the setback, she still averaged nine points and five rebounds per game. These numbers boosted the bench effort and gave the team a needed edge. That edge is now gone, which is at least part of why the Aces are struggling.
More: Worst moments of the Las Vegas Aces 2024 season so far
#2 Jimmy Garoppollo, Las Vegas Raiders quarterback
[caption id="attachment_57105" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Source. ESPN[/caption]Jimmy Garoppolo is the worst quarterback to ever play for the Las Vegas Raiders. He started his career with the Raiders by not disclosing an ankle surgery he needed during the offseason, which forced Las Vegas to reschedule his press conference and rework his deal.
While Garoppolo's lying should have been enough for the Raiders to toss him, Josh McDaniels was sure he could work with him. The basis for this assumption is that McDaniels believed he could implement the Patriot way after serving as an assistant head coach under Bill Belichick. He thought he could turn Garoppolo into the next Tom Brady.
Instead, Garoppolo quickly sank to a 3-3 record in six starts. He was also injured twice during the season before being relieved for good by Aidan O’Connell. Garoppolo finished the year with 110 completions in 169 attempts for 1205 yards, seven touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
#1 Logan Thompson, Las Vegas Golden Knights goalie
[caption id="attachment_57106" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Source. DraftKings[/caption]The biggest surprise on this list has to go to the sudden departure of Logan Thompson from the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Thompson was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2020 but didn’t get his first real taste of playing time until the 2021-2022 NHL season. Thompson went 10-5-3 in 2021, grabbing 569 saves and a GOA of 2.68.
He became a more critical part of the rotation in the 2022-2023 season, where he got paired with Adin Hill. Despite sharing the net, Thompson finished that year with a record of 21-13 and 3 with 1132 saves. He also posted a career-best 2.65 average that year as well.
Things got shaky for Thompson in the 2023-2024 season when an upper-body injury hindered him. This wasn’t the first time Thompson suffered an injury that took him out of action, and this might have contributed to his getting traded.
In the end, Thompson is pretty much a victim of circumstance. There was probably too little cap space to keep him there, and his injury history didn't help. Maybe it was just an investment the Golden Knights didn’t want to make. It's business first with Las Vegas, and Thompson’s is just the latest victim.
Next: Where your favorite Las Vegas sports stars rank in jersey sales