Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo passes physical, expected to start camp on time

Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo passes physical, expected to start camp on time

One big question mark facing the Raiders this offseason — and perhaps their biggest question mark — was the health of Jimmy Garoppolo. It was revealed that the veteran QB had foot surgery just after signing with the team, causing him to miss all offseason practices, and putting his attendance at training camp in doubt.

Quarterbacks have reported for the team’s pre-camp warmup along with Garoppolo. While that brought with it the news that top pick Tyree Wilson and third round defensive tackle Byron Young would start camp sidelined by injuries, it also brought good injury news — Garoppolo passed his physical.

As Adam Schefter noted, this means Garoppolo will not be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list and is hitting the field for camp on time.

This is great news, obviously. First off, because it renders all the worries about the Raiders revising his contract to have an out in case he wasn’t able to return to health. And second, because he is able to not fall behind with his new teammates and begin developing chemistry with his new receivers.

Josh McDaniels on Jimmy Garoppolo status: ‘I have no anxiety’, no timeline for return to Raiders

‘I have no anxiety’ say Josh McDaniels regarding Jimmy Garoppolo injury status. He also has no timeline for return to Raiders

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“What, me worry?” — Alfred E Newman

“I have no anxiety.” — Josh McDaniels

The latter is Raiders head coach when asked about the status of his starting QB Jimmy Garoppolo.

McDaniels may be cool as a cucumber, but the past few days, Raiders fans seem to have been collectively losing their s**t.

A week ago McDamiels addressed the fact that Garoppolo was not in attendance at the start of OTA’s as well as the reports that his starting QB had unexpected Lisfranc surgery after he signed with the team back in March.

What seems to have caused many to become concerned is the injury waiver put into Garoppolo’s contract to protect the team in case he couldn’t play.

These types of waivers in contracts are not unusual. But this specific situation is a bit more rare, being that we’re talking about the starting quarterback.

Last week, McDaniels said Garoppolo missing offseason practices does not concern him. That it’s all about training camp.

“The most important time of the year is going to happen when we get to training camp so that we’re ready to go and we can do the work we need to do in August,” McDaniels said.

Today he said flatly that he is not putting a timeline on Garoppolo’s return.

So, training camp is when it’s important that the team has their starting QB back, and he may or may not be back by then, but McDaniels isn’t worried about it one way or the other.

I’m sure McDaniels’s lack of stress with the situation will calm all the nerves of the fans.

Raiders putting injury waiver in Jimmy Garoppolo contract really that big a deal?

How big a deal is it that the Raiders revised Jimmy Garoppolo’s contract due to injury?

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Hope everyone had a good Memorial Day weekend. I know I did. As I have done the past eight years (minus one year during the height of the pandemic) I attended a music festival.

Typically I try as hard as I can during the three-day festival to shut off the outside noise, but right in the middle of it, my phone started blowing up about a report that the Raiders had changed the contract of new Jimmy Garoppolo to allow them to cut him with no money left behind.

Having no real ability/interest in digging into this news any deeper at the time, it seemed on the surface to be a bombshell. But one that would have to wait a couple days before I was able/willing to give more attention.

Today, I finally did that. And my honest feeling about it now is…

That’s it? That’s all it was?

Seriously, this is what everyone was freaking out about?

I say this not because the situation with Jimmy Garoppolo has no bad side to it. It certainly does. He has a Lisfranc foot injury that required surgery that was performed after he signed with the team. And it puts his availability for the start of the season in question.

The thing is though, that was already known. Josh McDaniels was asked about it last week and we covered it at that time.

This report over the weekend of the Raiders revising Garoppolo’s contract is the news here. And it’s the thing that has everyone running around like their hair is on fire.

What I keep asking myself is how this contract news changes things from what we already knew. It really doesn’t as far as I see it. I mean aside from it being somewhat of good news because it simply means the Raiders covered themselves financially.

The risk was already there of Garoppolo’s surgery not going well or him not rehabbing quickly enough to be ready for the season or, worst case  — and seemingly highly unlikely — scenario; the team feeling like he won’t be available at all and cutting him.

Just seeing those words in the contract has everyone like WHAT WILL THE RAIDERS DO WITHOUT JIMMY G? THEY WOULD BE SCREWED!

Yeah, they would be. Yeah, they would be left with veteran backup Brian Hoyer, rookie fourth round pick Aidan O’Connell, and undrafted roster fringe player Chase Garbers.

But, again, that possibility was already on the table with the knowledge that Jimmy G was still dealing with the injury and had to have surgery. The only difference now is, in the unlikely event he can’t go at all, the team wouldn’t be stuck paying him for nothing.

Does the revised contract make it more likely the Raiders would cut the cord if they are unsure about Garoppolo? I mean, I suppose. That seems a bit drastic though. It would require the Raiders almost hoping they can get out of Jimmy G’s contract rather than hoping he will be their starter. If that were the case, why sign him at all? Tank szn right?

The overall situation the Raiders find themselves in with Garoppolo is not ideal. No question about that. But what was the alternative? More ‘playing it safe’ and spinning their wheels with Derek Carr? Nah. Draft a QB high? All the good options were long gone. Sign a different free agent? Can you honestly think of another option that didn’t carry plenty of risks? I can’t.

We will have to wait and see with Garoppolo’s recovery. Should camp start with him still not on the field, the discussion in the media will happen again. And the moment he takes the field for the first time, the discussion will end.

Either Garoppolo will be back and they will see if he is the answer, or he won’t be back and the Caleb Williams discussion will heat up.

Same as it ever was.

Jimmy Garoppolo still ‘going through his process’ with foot injury, Raiders looking at training camp return

Raiders are without Jimmy Garoppolo at OTA’s as he is ‘going through his process’ with foot injury and may not be back until training camp

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Injuries have been a problem for Jimmy Garoppolo. He has been lost for the latter part of the season three times in the past five years. Including last season when he suffered a lisfranc fracture in his left foot and was out the last month of the season and the playoffs.

At the time, Garoppolo held off on getting surgery in the hopes the injury would be able to heal and he could take the field should the 49ers make the Super Bowl.

They did not make the Super Bowl and as it turns out, Garoppolo did end up requiring surgery. A surgery that occurred after he had signed with the Raiders according to a report in The Athletic.

The Raiders take the field for OTA practice this week and Garoppolo will not be among them.

“You won’t see him today,” Josh McDaniels said of Garoppolo.

“He’s going through his process just like we knew he would. Nothing has happened that would surprise us based on the information we had.”

Garoppolo’s surgery was not a surprise to the Raiders according to McDaniels. And he says he not concerned about his starting QB not being available right now.

“Everything that’s happened since we signed Jimmy, we knew ahead of time,” McDaniels said when asked about Garoppolo getting surgery.

As for a timeline, McDaniels said it “could be” training camp before we see Jimmy G practicing.

“The most important time of the year is going to happen when we get to training camp so that we’re ready to go and we can do the work we need to do in August,” McDaniels said.

We all knew the primary concern with Garoppolo was staying healthy. But the expectation is that he is at least healthy going in. As of right not, that is not the case.