Matt Johnson
When the Las Vegas Raiders signed Jimmy Garoppolo this spring, the team delayed his physical after he underwent foot surgery once he signed with the team. Months later, Garoppolo is now on the verge of being on the field for Las Vegas.
Garoppolo suffered a foot injury last season, which sidelined him for the remainder of the year. However, the San Francisco 49ers medical staff believed he didn’t need surgery. When the issue persisted into the new year and after undergoing another examination, Garoppolo underwent surgery.
- Jimmy Garoppolo stats (career): 99.6 quarterback rating, 67.6% completion rate, 87-42 TD-INT ratio, 193.1 passing yards per game, 8.3 yards per attempt
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Las Vegas protected itself financially. by adjusting the language of his contract, including a clause that Garoppolo could be waived if he didn’t pass his physical by September. Fortunately for the Raiders, that won’t come into play.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, multiple Raiders officials are confident that Garoppolo will pass his physical on Sunday and be cleared for the start of training camp.
Garoppolo underwent offseason foot surgery, putting his availability for the beginning of training camp into question. Because of the procedure, Las Vegas pushed back his physical and restructured his contract so guarantees wouldn’t kick in until he was cleared.
- Jimmy Garoppolo contract: $22.5 million salary in 2023, $24.25M cap hit in 2024
Health will be crucial for Garoppolo this fall. While he signed a three-year contract worth $72.75 million, including $45 million total guaranteed, Las Vegas has significant control over the deal. The Raiders can cut Garoppolo before June 1 next season and create $13 million in cap space. If they designate him as a post-June 1 release, it frees up $24.25 million of cap space.
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Garoppolo’s immediate availability is a massive development for Las Vegas. With Josh Jacobs skipping training camp, the Raiders were already going to be without one of the most important pieces of their offense this summer. With Garoppolo being medically cleared, the veteran quarterback can now start building chemistry with the Raiders’ receivers.
Las Vegas might still take a cautious approach, limiting the number of first-team reps Garoppolo receives at the start of training camp. However, all that matters for the Raiders is Garoppolo taking the final step in his recovery and now being on track to start in Week 1.
