Josh McDaniels – ‘No anxiety’ over Raiders’ QB situation
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Paul Gutierrez, ESPN staff writer
HENDERSON, Nev. — Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels said Thursday he is not concerned about reports and rumors that his new starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo may not be able to play this season.
“I’m not afraid,” McDaniels said. “You may be afraid. I’m not afraid.”
“I will not set a timeline or a day for anything.”
Garoppolo, who joined the Raiders as a free agent on March 17 on a three-year, $72.75 million contract, signed due to a left foot injury sustained December 4 while playing for the San Francisco 49ers played, also a waiver/dismissal in lieu of a physical.
He underwent surgery after signing with the Raiders and was unable to train with the team on the field at volunteer OTAs, even though Garoppolo was in the building. The Raiders hope to have him available at the start of camp while he continues his rehab.
Garoppolo’s inaugural press conference was pushed back a day in March, presumably after the Raiders noticed problems with his foot and let him sign the waiver.
When asked that day to shed light on the delay and whether the injury played a role, Garoppolo said, “Don’t worry.”
“I mean, it was all about talking, language and things like that. But no, I think both sides knew what we were trying to achieve, so it was actually very collaborative. We just came together.”
Garoppolo’s $11.25 million signing bonus was also converted into a base salary, giving him a total base salary of $22.5 million for 2023. This lends credibility to the notion that Las Vegas could part ways with him should he fail the pre-season investigation.
When asked why he had “no concerns” about the quarterback position, McDaniels smiled.
“I don’t worry about the things that I can’t control,” McDaniels said. “I have very good information that tells me we’ll be fine, you know what I mean? So again, nothing happened to change that, so that’s why I think so.”
Brian Hoyer, who has experience of the McDaniels system from his time with the New England Patriots and is entering his 15th NFL season, signed with Las Vegas as a free agent last season and served as first-team substitutes. The Raiders also drafted Purdue’s Aidan O’Connell in the fourth round and sophomore Chase Garbers.
