raiders attack player Jimmy Garoppolo He will sit out the team’s OTA practices this week as he continues to recover from the left foot injury he suffered late last season, coach Josh McDaniels said Thursday. While McDaniels declined to discuss details, team and league sources said Garoppolo underwent surgery in March after signing with the Raiders. His recovery timeline from that procedure is unknown, though McDaniels acknowledged that he “could be” out until at least training camp.
“He’s going through his process just like we knew he would,” McDaniels said Thursday. “Nothing has happened that would surprise us based on the information we had.”
Here’s what you need to know:
- Garoppolo initially suffered the injury to his left foot on December 6, 2022 while playing for the 49ers. Saint Francis feared that he 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 recovery time of about two months.
- Based on that, Garoppolo, who had been pushing for a possible return if the 49ers made it to the Super Bowl, should have been fully healthy by the time he reached a deal with the Raiders on March 13. The first indication that something was wrong came when Garoppolo arrived at team headquarters in Henderson, Nevada, to sign his contract on March 16, but he left the facility without signing it.
- When Garoppolo signed on a day later and had his introductory press conference, he didn’t reveal reasoning behind the delay or give a clear update on the status of your foot injury. But according to a league source, the Raiders discovered during Garoppolo’s physical exam that his foot actually needed surgery and the procedure was performed after his presentation.
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What is the level of concern?
The feeling is that the Raiders aren’t worried about Garoppolo being ready for the start of the regular season in September.
“We haven’t played a game for 100 days,” McDaniels said Thursday. “Everything that happened since we signed Jimmy, we knew about it beforehand. …Certainly he had an awareness of all that. Our preference is not to push and rush anyone at this time.”
Still, considering Garoppolo’s history, the emergence of an injury situation remains worrisome.
Since Garoppolo became a starter after being transferred from the patriots to the 49ers in 2017, he missed 31 regular-season games and suffered three season-ending injuries. The Raiders had that context and were still comfortable enough to give him a three-year, $72.75 million contract with $33.75 million in total guarantees, but now he’s ready to waste time yet again before he’s played a moment for them. That further delays his chance to build chemistry with the star receiver. davante adams and the rest of the team’s offensive weapons.
Even if he’s ready to play in time for Week 1, it’s fair to wonder if he’ll be able to hold out all season. The Raiders View Brian Hoyer as a viable backup and believe in Aidan O’Connell‘s long term advantage Considering they traded to draft him in the fourth round last month, it’s unlikely either player can come close to matching Garoppolo’s expected output this season. If Garoppolo’s injury problems persist, the Raiders’ offense will be in bad shape.
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Asked during his presentation if he was concerned the Raiders’ deal would fall through, Garoppolo said there were “no concerns” and called the process “very collaborative.”
Garoppolo said his goal is “Get Silver and Black back to where they should be.”
When the veteran was asked if he expected to be Las Vegas’ “long-term” starter, he said he “comes with the mindset that (he) has to win it all.” He added: “I don’t want to be told ‘you’re the franchise guy’ or whatever. I want to go in and win it over.”
Asked if he still had something to prove in his career, Garoppolo replied: “Hell yes. 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: Candice Ward/USA Today)