Everyone else might have been worrying about Jimmy Garoppolo's foot, but not the Las Vegas Raiders' new QB.
Garoppolo spoke Wednesday for the first time about his injured foot, the one that required an addendum in his contract after initially signing with the Raiders. The waiver that was retroactively added to his contract indicated that Garoppolo would not have passed his physical at the time of his signing.
But Garoppolo said Wednesday that he never worried about his health come training camp.
"No, never. ... Never really a worry," Garoppolo said. "We had a good plan here. The strength staff, training staff -- really tip my hat to those guys. They did a great job just getting me back to where I needed to be. I'm not fully there yet, but (I'm) working in the right direction."
The quarterback had his foot surgically repaired around when he signed the contract, and though his training camp availability was in question this spring, Garoppolo has been cleared to practice and did not open camp on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list. He's now guaranteed to receive a minimum of $33.75 million over the next two seasons.
"It's good to be together," Raiders WR Davante Adams said of his new QB.
Garoppolo suffered the season-ending foot injury last season in Week 13 with the 49ers. He has started 55 career games, including 10 last season and two with the Patriots alongside former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, now the head coach in Las Vegas.
Garoppolo has missed some time this offseason but believes the rapport and timing with his new offensive teammates is still trending in the right direction.
"It's coming. It's definitely coming," Garoppolo said. "We've gotten some good reps over the summer. Training camp, I think we'll only get better and better as we go. Running routes on air is one thing. But once you get a defense out there, you really see what guys can do and can't do, and they can see the same with me. That's when you really start to build your chemistry."
But while Garoppolo was seen on the Raiders' practice field, one of his key offensive teammates is not in camp -- and might not show anytime soon. Running back Josh Jacobs remains away from camp while he and the Raiders remain at loggerheads over his contract.
The Raiders placed the franchise tag on Jacobs this offseason, but he has not signed his one-year tender yet, which means he's not subject to any fines while being away from the team. Jacobs turned in a career season in 2022, leading the NFL in rush yards (1,653) and yards from scrimmage (2,053).
Although the window for signing Jacobs to a long-term contract has come and gone this year, it's possible that Jacobs could show up with a revised one-year deal. The Giants recently settled their standoff with RB Saquon Barkley by giving him a beefed-up, incentive-laden contract that exceeded the franchise tender offer.
Defensive end Maxx Crosby, one of the Raiders' unquestioned leaders, was asked about Jacobs' absence. Crosby said he wanted to let Jacobs handle his business but that he was rooting for him to get paid commensurately.
"Josh is a grown man," Crosby said. "He's got to do what's best for him. … I want everyone to get paid."
