Jimmy Garoppolo contract issues emblematic of Raiders dysfunction
Last week the news was dropped that presumptive Raiders starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had foot surgery and is expected to be back by training camp or at the latest by the start of the season. NFL players have offseason surgeries all the time so usually it’s not a big deal but in the case of Garoppolo, it gave us an insight into some of the dysfunction that had plagued the Raiders in recent years.
If you recall the day that Garoppolo was going to be unveiled to the media as a Raider, the press conference was delayed unexpectedly due to what the team called an issue with contract language. There were whispers of a failed physical but they were dismissed by the team and they insisted that it just a minor issue with the terms of the contract.
We found out last week that while the Raiders were not technically lying to us, they certainly didn’t tell the whole truth. It was revealed that Garoppolo failed his physical because of a foot injury and that the two parties reworked his contract that would allow the Raiders to cut him with no penalty if he is unable to pass a physical before the start of the season.
We went from assuming Garoppolo was locked in as QB1 in Las Vegas to the very real possibility that he is cut and the Raiders would be back to square one.