Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is not participating in the team’s OTA workouts this week as he continues to recover from the left foot injury he suffered late last season, the report said. coach Josh McDaniels on Thursday. While McDaniels declined to discuss specifics, team and league sources said Garoppolo underwent surgery in March after signing with the Raiders. His recovery schedule after this procedure is unknown, although McDaniels acknowledged he “may” be out until at least training camp.
“He’s going through his process like we knew he would,” McDaniels said Thursday. “Nothing happened that would surprise us based on the information we had.”
Here’s what you need to know:
- Garoppolo first suffered a left foot injury on December 6, 2022 while playing for the 49ers. San Francisco feared they had suffered a Lisfranc fracture – which requires surgery – but 49ers team doctors concluded it was a different type of fracture that did not require surgery and had a payback period of about two months.
- Based on that, Garoppolo — who had been pushing for a potential return if the 49ers reached the Super Bowl — should have been fully healthy by the time he agreed to terms with the Raiders on March 13. The first indication that something was wrong came when Garoppolo arrived at the team’s headquarters in Henderson, Nevada, to sign his contract on March 16, but left the facility without doing so.
- When Garoppolo signed a day later and had his introductory press conference, he didn’t reveal the reasoning behind the delay or give a clear update on the status of his foot injury. But according to a league source, the Raiders discovered during Garoppolo’s physical that his foot actually needed surgery and the procedure was done after he was introduced.
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What is the level of concern?
The feeling is that the Raiders are not concerned that Garoppolo will be ready for the start of the regular season in September.
“We don’t play a game for 100 days,” McDaniels said Thursday. “Everything that’s happened since we signed Jimmy, we knew in advance. … I was certainly aware of all of that. Our preference is not to push him and rush anybody into this. stadium.
Still, given Garoppolo’s history, the emergence of an injury situation remains a concern.
Since Garoppolo became a starter after being traded from the Patriots to the 49ers in 2017, he has missed 31 regular season games and suffered three season-ending injuries. The Raiders had that background and still felt comfortable enough to give him a three-year, $72.75 million contract with $33.75 million in total guarantees, but now he’s about to miss out. more time before even playing for them. This further delays his opportunity to build chemistry with star receiver Davante Adams and the rest of the team’s offensive weapons.
Even though he’s ready to leave in time for Week 1, it’s fair to wonder if he can last the whole season. The Raiders view Brian Hoyer as a viable replacement and believe in the long-term benefit of Aidan O’Connell, given they traded to draft him in the fourth round last month, but it’s unlikely the either player can get closer to Garoppolo. production scheduled for this season. If Garoppolo’s injury issues persist, the Raiders’ offense will be in poor shape.
Pass
When asked during his introduction if he was worried the Raiders’ deal might fall through, Garoppolo said there were “no worries” and called the process “very collaborative”.
Garoppolo said his goal was to “bring the Silver and the Black back to where they should be.”
The veteran, who was asked if he expected to be a “long-term” Las Vegas starter, said he’s “coming in with the mindset he has to win it all.” He added: “I don’t want to be given a ‘you’re the franchise guy,’ or anything. I want to come in and earn it.
When asked if he still has something to prove in his career, Garoppolo replied: “Hell yeah. I’m trying to win a Super Bowl. I know all the players say that in their first conference of press, but that’s my goal.
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(Photo: Candice Ward/USA Today)
