Jimmy Garoppolo signed a three-year, $72.75 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders in March, but there is more to the story. The veteran quarterback would not have been able to without a waiver, ProFootballTalk reported late Saturday.
Garoppolo failed his physical and needed surgery on the left foot he broke while playing for the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13 of the 2022 season. This led to an Addendum G, which is a waiver and release, being added to his contract.
In the first paragraph, the waiver acknowledges that, without it, Garoppolo would not pass the team’s 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.”
The originally negotiated deal included an $11.25 million signing bonus and a base salary of $11.25 million for 2023. The Raiders removed the signing bonus because of the foot injury, so the total of $22.5 million becomes the base salary in 2023.
There is no longer any guaranteed money, and Garoppolo won’t get any of it until he passes a physical. Until then, the Raiders can cut him “for any reason related” to Addendum G.
>>WATCH: Garoppolo Perfect Fit for Raiders
The contract preserves the team’s ability to terminate the agreement with no further obligation “for any reason related to the Waiver and Release attached as Addendum G.”
The waiver becomes null and void if, at any time during the upcoming season, Garoppolo passes a physical exam, is active for at least one regular-season game and does not suffer re-injury to his left foot in the manner described in Addendum G.
The veteran quarterback has twice previously sustained season-ending injuries. He broke his ankle in Week 8 of 2020 and suffered a torn ACL in Week 3 of the 2018 season.
Garoppolo finished 7-3 in 10 starts for the 49ers in 2022. The Raiders, meanwhile, finished 6-11 last season and moved on from long-time starting QB Derek Carr.
When healthy, Garoppolo has been effective. He has a career record of 40-17 and has completed more than 67 percent of his passes.
If he isn’t healthy, the Raiders can walk away. If that happens, expect rumors about Tom Brady unretiring (again) to heat up.
>>READ: Brady Becomes Limited Partner With Raiders
