Remember when the Las Vegas Raiders signed quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo back in March? The official announcement was delayed, leading to speculation that something could have come up during his physical.
Garoppolo had suffered a left foot injury late in the regular season with the San Francisco 49ers and missed their playoff run before signing with the Raiders during the early stages of NFL free agency.
About that? Vic Tafur and Tasan Reed of The Athletic report that Garoppolo underwent foot surgery back in March after signing with the team. He did not participate in organized team activities (OTAs) this week and his timeline for a return to the field is unknown.
“He’s going through his process just like we knew he would,” Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels on Jimmy Garoppolo’s surgery. “Nothing has happened that would surprise us based on the information we had.”
McDaniels acknowledged that Garoppolo “could be out” until at least training camp. Even then, Garoppolo’s injury history has to raise red flags. Since 2017, he’s missed 31 regular-season games due to injury and has suffered three season-ending injuries during that span.
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Jimmy Garoppolo injury history and Las Vegas Raiders QB situation
Vegas signed veteran backup Brian Hoyer to a two-year contract in early April. He joins rookie fourth-round pick Aidan O’Connell and former undrafted free agent Chase Garbers in the Raiders’ quarterback room.
- Jimmy Garoppolo stats (2022): 67.2% completion, 2,437 yards, 16 TD, 4 INT, 103.0 QB rating
There was already some pushback from the Raiders’ fan base when they opted to replace Derek Carr with Garoppolo. Most see it as a lateral move.
With that said, Carr was able to remain mostly healthy during his nine-year run with the Raiders. In fact, he started 142 of a possible 146 games during that span. Two of those games Carr missed came when he was benched late in the 2023 season.
The question here is whether the Raiders will sign another quarterback ahead of training camp. The likes of Carson Wentz and Teddy Bridgewater, both of whom have vast starting experience, are available.