Raiders' Jimmy Garoppolo 'Glad' He Had Toe Surgery Despite Contract Controversy

Jimmy Garoppolo is preparing for his first season with the Las Vegas Raiders after an eventful offseason that almost saw his contract with the team fall apart due to his recovery from foot surgery.

Speaking to Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle, Garoppolo explained why he's "glad" he had the surgery despite all of the drama that ensued as a result:

"Honestly it was just an unlucky situation. The one toe [the second toe on his left foot] just wouldn't heal. It was a deep crack, one of those. And the other two bones did heal. It was a weird situation, but I think we made the best of it. They wanted me to get surgery. I'm glad I did now, looking back on it."

Garoppolo agreed to a three-year, $72.75 million deal with the Raiders on March 13. His introductory press conference was originally scheduled on March 16, but it wound up being delayed by a day for reasons the team never specified.

The Athletic's Tashan Reed and Vic Tafur reported on May 25 that Garoppolo had surgery after signing his deal with the Raiders.

On May 27, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported the Raiders included a clause in Garoppolo's contract that would have allowed them to get out of the deal without financial penalty if he didn't pass a physical.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on July 23, two days before the Raiders opened training camp, Garoppolo passed his physical. Florio noted passing the physical unlocked Garoppolo's $11.25 million signing bonus from the team.

Garoppolo suffered the injury in Week 13 of the 2022 season while playing for the San Francisco 49ers. His foot got caught under Miami Dolphins defenders Jerome Baker and Jaelen Phillips when he was sacked in the first quarter.

The 31-year-old missed the rest of the season as a result, though he told Silver it "was kind of the plan of not getting the surgery" sooner was because he intended to play for the 49ers in Super Bowl 57 if they had defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.

Las Vegas signed Garoppolo to replace Derek Carr as the starting quarterback. He will be reunited with Josh McDaniels, who was his offensive coordinator with the New England Patriots for four seasons from 2014 to '17.