AP Photo/John Locher
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo “is expected to be ready long before training camp” as he works his way back from left foot surgery, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Ian Rapoport @RapSheet
From Inside Minicamps LIVE on NFL+: Barring any setbacks, #Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo (foot surgery) is expected to be ready for training camp. pic.twitter.com/sKoToBB028
Rapoport added that’s expected to be the case barring “any sort of snag in the process” or “issues with his foot.”
Garoppolo suffered a left foot injury on Dec. 4 while serving as the San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback in a 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins. He missed the remainder of the season.
Per The Athletic’s Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed and ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez, Garoppolo underwent surgery for the injury shortly after inking a three-year, $72.75 million deal with Las Vegas on March 17.
Garoppolo missed the team’s OTA practices in late May as he recovered from the injury, per The Athletic. Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels declined to discuss specifics regarding the ailment but noted that the team’s new signal-caller “could be” out until training camp begins in July.
As The Athletic noted, there was concern soon after the initial injury that Garoppolo suffered a Lisfranc fracture, which requires surgery. A later diagnosis revealed that was not the case, and there was even slight hope that Garoppolo could return in the latter stages of the 49ers’ playoff run.
That did not happen, and Garoppolo left San Francisco for Las Vegas in free agency. Raiders team doctors examined his foot and concluded that Garoppolo did in fact need surgery, and that occurred after he was introduced to the public as the team’s new quarterback.
McDaniels didn’t seem particularly concerned that Garoppolo could miss any regular-season time when he spoke with reporters May 25.
“We don’t play a game for 100 days,” McDaniels said, per The Athletic. “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.”
Garoppolo, 31, completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 2,437 yards and 16 touchdowns (four interceptions) in 11 games for San Francisco last year. He’s entering his 10th season after playing three with the New England Patriots and six with the 49ers.
The former Eastern Illinois star’s best year occurred in 2019, when he helped lead San Francisco to a Super Bowl appearance after completing 69.1 percent of his passes for 27 touchdowns (13 picks) and 3,978 yards.
Unfortunately, injuries have curtailed Garoppolo’s career. A torn left ACL suffered in Week 3 of the 2018 campaign ended his season, and a high ankle sprain (and ensuing reaggravations of the injury) led to his missing 10 contests in 2020.
However, it appears he should be good to go for 2023 after some offseason concerns.
