Raiders’ Jimmy Garoppolo had foot surgery after signing, still recovering: Sources

Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is not participating in 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 specifics, team and league sources said Garoppolo had surgery in March after signing with the Raiders. His recovery timeline from that procedure is unknown, although McDaniels acknowledged 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 left foot injury on Dec. 6, 2022 while playing for the 49ers. San Francisco feared that he’d suffered a Lisfranc fracture — which requires surgery — but 49ers team doctors concluded that it was a different type of fracture that didn’t require surgery and had a recovery timeline of about two months.
• Based on that, Garoppolo — who had been pushing for a potential return if the 49ers reached the Super Bowl — should have been fully healthy by the time he agreed to terms with the Raiders on March 13. The first indication something may be amiss came when Garoppolo arrived at team headquarters in Henderson, Nev., to sign his contract on March 16, but left the facility without doing so.
• When Garoppolo did sign a day later and had his introductory news conference, he didn’t reveal the reasoning behind the delay or give a clear update on the status of his foot injury. But according to a league source, the Raiders discovered during Garoppolo’s physical that his foot actually did need surgery and the procedure was done after his introduction.

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

What’s the concern level?

The sense is that the Raiders aren’t worried about Garoppolo being ready for the start of 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 ahead of time. … Certainly had an awareness of all of it. Our preference is not to push it and rush anybody back at this point in time.”

Still, considering Garoppolo’s history, having an injury situation emerge remains concerning.

Since Garoppolo became a starter after being traded from the Patriots to the 49ers in 2017, he’s missed 31 regular-season games and has suffered three season-ending injuries. The Raiders had that context and still felt comfortable enough to give him a three-year, $72.75 million contract with $33.75 million in total guarantees, but now he’s set to miss time once again before he’s even played a snap for them. That further delays his opportunity 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 question whether he’ll be able to hold up all season. The Raiders view Brian Hoyer as a viable backup and believe in Aidan O’Connell’s long-term upside, considering they traded up to draft him in the fourth round last month, but it’s unlikely that either player would be able to come close to matching Garoppolo’s expected production this season. If Garoppolo’s injury issues persist, the Raiders’ offense will be in rough shape.

Backstory

Asked during his introduction if he was concerned the Raiders deal would fall through, Garoppolo said there was “no worry” and called the process “very collaborative.”

Garoppolo said his goal is to “get the Silver and Black back to where it should be.”

The veteran, asked if he was expecting to be Las Vegas’ “long-term” starter, said he is “coming in with the mindset that (he has) to earn everything.” He added, “I don’t want to be given any ‘you’re the franchise guy,’ or whatever. I want to come in and earn it.”

Asked if he still had anything to prove in his career, Garoppolo answered: “Hell yeah. I’m trying to win a Super Bowl. I know every player says that when they come up to their first press conference, but that’s my goal.”

Required reading

(Photo: Candice Ward / USA Today)