Jimmy Garoppolo has noteworthy clause in his Raiders contract

Mar 17, 2023; Henderson, NV, USA; New Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo speaks to the media at Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a season-ending foot injury last December, but the issue was not viewed as a big concern when the veteran quarterback entered free agency. The Las Vegas Raiders have protected themselves in case it becomes one, however.

A report this week revealed that Garoppolo underwent surgery on his left foot after he signed with the Raiders. Garoppolo’s official introduction as a member of the Raiders was strangely delayed after he agreed to a deal, but both he and the team insisted there were no issues. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk learned, the Raiders appear to have made a significant tweak to Garoppolo’s contract after the 31-year-old underwent his physical.

Florio obtained a copy of Garoppolo’s contract, which contains a final clause titled “Addendum G.” The clause is a waiver and release acknowledging that Garoppolo would not pass his Raiders physical “because of a preexisting medal and middle cuneiform and a fracture of the base of the second metatarsal in the Player’s left foot and that the Club would not enter into an NFL Player Contract with Player.”

You can see the entire clause below:

Here is the clause on the adjusted contract for Jimmy Garoppolo https://t.co/7cn2xKBXhh pic.twitter.com/nr8t9mjjIb

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 28, 2023

As part of the agreement, Garoppolo acknowledged the risk of further injury and assumed all risks of continuing to play. The clause also states that the Raiders can terminate the deal for any reason determined to be related to Addendum G.

Florio also notes that Garoppolo initially had an $11.25 million signing bonus in his three-year deal with Las Vegas and $11.25 million base salary for 2023. The signing bonus was removed after his physical and the full $22.5 million became base salary.

In other words, Garoppolo’s foot injury was viewed as a big deal by the team. That does not mean they think it will become an issue, but they are protecting themselves in case it does.

Garoppolo suffered the foot injury on Dec. 6 and was shut down for the season. The San Francisco 49ers feared that he had sustained a Lisfranc injury and would need surgery. However, doctors determined that it was a different type of fracture that did not need surgery and would require a recovery period of about two months.

The Raiders’ medical staff had a different opinion, and Garoppolo underwent surgery.

Garoppolo should be recovered in plenty of time for training camp, but this is the second straight offseason where he has undergone surgery. Last year, the Niners had difficulty trading him because he needed a shoulder procedure.