Getty Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels.
Jimmy Garoppolo was around the Las Vegas Raiders during organized team activities, but he wasn’t on the field due to an injury. The veteran quarterback underwent surgery to repair his injured foot after he signed with the in March, according to a May 25 report from The Athletic’s Tashan Reed and Vic Tafur.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network later reported on June 6 that Garoppolo is expected to be back in time for training camp. There has been no word of any setback, but this latest injury issue has led to speculation that the quarterback won’t be in Las Vegas very long. In a June 17 column for Bleacher Report about which top quarterbacks are “most likely to change teams” after the 2023 NFL season, Kristopher Knox listed Garoppolo.
“While Garoppolo is expected to be the Week 1 starter, there’s no guarantee that he’ll be or stay healthy this season. That could leave Las Vegas relying on Brian Hoyer or rookie Aidan O’Connell and perhaps stumbling into a top 2024 draft pick,” Knox wrote.
“If the Raiders do end up in a position to draft a QB prospect like Drake Maye or Caleb Williams, Garoppolo could be on the way out. Las Vegas could release him next offseason and save $13 million off the 2024 cap.”
Jimmy Garoppolo Has Extensive Injury History
Injuries are part of the game in the NFL, but Garoppolo’s history is something for the Raiders to keep in mind. He became a full-time starter with the San Francisco 49ers in 2017. Since then, he has played every game in a season just once in 2019. That was the season he led the team to a Super Bowl appearance against the Kansas City Chiefs. Though the 49ers lost the game, Garoppolo proved he can lead a team far if he’s able to stay healthy.
However, he has missed 18 regular season games with injury since that season, including six games last year. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported on May 27 that the Raiders put a clause in his contract that would allow the Raiders to cut him without penalty if he’s unable to pass a physical by the start of the 2023 season. As previously noted, the team does not expect that to be an issue.
Las Vegas Raiders’ Plan at Quarterback
With Garoppolo hurt, veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer took all of the first-team reps during OTAs. Hoyer worked with Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels when he was the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots in 2017 and 2018 and then again from 2020 to 2021. He knows the system well and will bring valuable insight to the offense. That said, he has won a start since the 2016 season. He’s 37 now and has only started more than 10 games once in a season back in 2014 with the Cleveland Browns.
The other quarterbacks on the roster are rookie fourth-round pick Aidan O’Connell and 2022 undrafted free agent signing Chase Garbers. Neither has ever taken an NFL snap. The Raiders are relying heavily on Garoppolo getting healthy. If training camp arrives and he’s still not healthy, the team could look at some veterans in the free agent market like Carson Wentz or Teddy Bridgewater. The fact that the Raiders haven’t made any recent moves at quarterback is a positive sign that Garoppolo will be healthy.
