Raiders coach Josh McDaniels said today, Thursday, that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will not participate in Ota’s training for the team this week, as he continues to recover from a left foot injury he sustained late last season. While McDaniels declined to discuss the specifics, team and league sources said Garoppolo had surgery in March after signing with the Raiders. The timeline for recovery from the procedure is unknown, though McDaniels acknowledged he “could” be out of camp at least until 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 have.”
Here’s what you need to know:
- Garoppolo initially suffered a left foot injury on December 6, 2022 while playing for the 49ers. San Francisco feared he might fracture Lisfranc—which would require surgery—but the 49ers’ doctors concluded it was a different type of fracture that did not require surgery and had a recovery timeline of about two months.
- Accordingly, Garoppolo — who has been pushing for a potential comeback if the 49ers make it to the Super Bowl — should have been healthy by the time he agreed to a deal with the Raiders on March 13. 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 on the next day and held his introductory press conference, he did not reveal the reason behind the delay or give a clear update on the condition of his foot injury. But according to a league source, the Raiders discovered during Garoppolo’s physical that his foot was in fact in need of surgery and that the procedure was done after he was submitted.
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What is the level of anxiety?
Meaning, the Raiders aren’t worried about Garoppolo getting ready to start 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 him in advance. … He definitely had an awareness of it all. We’d rather not push it and push anyone to come back at this time.”
However, given Garoppolo’s history, it’s still a worrying case of injury to emerge.
Since becoming a starter after being traded from the Patriots to the 49ers in 2017, Garoppolo has missed 31 regular season games and suffered three season-ending injuries. The Raiders had that context and still felt comfortable enough to offer him a three-year, $72.75 million contract with $33.75 million in total guarantees, but now he’s about to lose time again before playing a surprise role for them. That delays his chance to build chemistry with star receiver Davante Adams and the rest of the team’s offensive weapons.
Even if he’s ready to go in time for Week 1, it’s fair to wonder if he’ll be able to hold it all season. The Raiders view Brian Hoyer as a viable backup and believe in Aidan O’Connell’s long-term ascendancy, considering they traded for his fourth-round catcher last month, but it’s unlikely either player can come close to matching Garoppolo’s production. expected this season. If Garoppolo’s injury issues continue, the Raiders offense will be in tough shape.
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When asked during his introduction if he was worried the Raiders deal would fall through, Garoppolo said he had “no need to worry” and described the process as “very collaborative”.
Garoppolo said his goal is to “put the silver and black back where they need to be.”
And when the veteran was asked if he expects to be a rookie in Las Vegas long-term, he said he “comes with the mentality that he[has]to win it all.” He added, “I don’t want to get any ‘you franchise’ or anything. I want to go in and earn it.”
When asked if he still had anything to prove in his career, Garoppolo replied, “Yeah. I’m trying to win a Super Bowl. I know every player says that when they get to their first press conference, but that’s my goal.”
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(Photo: Candace Ward/USA Today)