The Las Vegas Raiders signed veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo earlier this offseason to be their starting quarterback for the upcoming 2023 NFL season. However, they may not be all that confident that he is totally healthy after his foot injury last season.
There was notably some controversy surrounding Garoppolo’s signing in Las Vegas after his introductory press conference with the team was suddenly postponed back in March.
Some thought at the time that it was due to potential concerns about his physical before joining the team. The team denied that and went through with his press conference just days later.
Details of his contract in Las Vegas emerged on Saturday night that suggest that the Raiders were indeed concerned about Garoppolo’s health at the time of his signing.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio revealed that his contract contains a waiver and release clause due to his ankle injury that is called “Addendum G”.
In his contract, Garoppolo acknowledged the risk of further injury, including potential permanent disability by continuing his career with this ankle injury.
The contract preserves the team’s ability to terminate the agreement with no further obligation, “for any reason related to the Waiver and Release attached as Addendum G”. This clause in his contract is not a long-term one, as it goes away if he does pass a physical this offseason.
It is definitely concerning for Raiders fans to hear this, especially since he is set to miss OTAs with the Raiders while he attempts to recover from his injury.
If Garoppolo is unable to eventually pass a physical, they will be forced to play either veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer or rookie quarterback Aiden O’Connell as their Week 1 starter.
