The Las Vegas Raiders shook up their quarterback room this offseason by moving on from Derek Carr and opting for Jimmy Garoppolo in free agency. The former 49ers quarterback is coming off another injury-plagued season where he missed the bulk of the year due to a foot injury. And that ailment still seems to be lingering around Garoppolo both physically and contractually.
It was recently revealed that Garoppolo underwent surgery on that injured foot in March after signing with the team and has yet to take the field with his new club during OTAs. Now, a new report from Pro Football Talk highlights that this injury forced the Raiders to put a waiver in Garoppolo's contract (called "Addendum G"), specifically centered around that foot injury.
The addendum notes that Garoppolo acknowledges he would not be able to pass the team's physical due to the preexisting injury. It continues to say that Garoppolo acknowledges and assumes the risk of further injury, including "permanent disability."
The most significant nugget of information that comes out of this addendum is when it states that the Raiders can terminate the agreement "for any reason related to the Waiver and Release attached as Addendum G." So, Las Vegas can get out from Garoppolo's contract if this injury continues to be a thorn in the QBs side, creating the possibility for him to never take a snap for the franchise. That said, Addendum G becomes null and void if Garoppolo passes a physical, is active for at least one regular season game, and does not suffer a re-injury to his left foot.
On top of that protective language in his contract, Garoppolo initially had an $11.25 million signing bonus and a base salary of $11.25 for 2023 in his original deal. This foot injury led to the Raiders removing the signing bonus and moving it to his base salary, setting him up to earn $22.5 million in 2023. That maneuver protects the team from shelling out money upfront before Garoppolo takes a physical. He won't get any of that money until he does so. Until then, the Raiders have the ability to cut him at any point "for any reason related" to Addendum G.
It would be a remarkable turn of events if Garoppolo suddenly is cut by the Raiders due to this injury, especially at this stage of the offseason. Currently, Brian Hoyer, Aidan O'Connell, and Chase Garbers are the other quarterback on Las Vegas' roster.
