Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo may be out until training camp after undergoing foot surgery in March.
But even though Garoppolo’s contract includes an injury waiver over the foot injury, head coach Josh McDaniels said on Thursday that he’s not worried about Garoppolo being unable to play.
“I have no anxiety,” McDaniels said in his Thursday press conference, via the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “You guys might have anxiety. I don’t have any anxiety.”
McDaniels continued, “I’m not going to put a timeline on it or a day or anything. But like I said, I have no anxiety. Feel pretty good about it.”
When later asked why he doesn’t feel any anxiety about Garoppolo’s availability, McDaniels smiled and replied, “I don’t worry about the things I can’t control, you know what I mean?
“Like I said, I have very good information that would tell me that we’re going to be fine. So, again, nothing has happened that would’ve changed that. That’s why I feel that way.”
While Garoppolo has been at the Raiders facility during the offseason program to rehab his foot and participate in meetings, the quarterback isn’t on the field getting reps with his new teammates. McDaniels noted that Garoppolo’s presence in the building means something and players around the league don’t participate in voluntary offseason work for various reasons.
“Again, we can’t control — this is football. There’s definitely going to be players that miss time,” McDaniels said. “I mean, Josh Jacobs wasn’t able to do a whole lot last year either and [he had] a decent year. So, again, I don’t want to overstate any of that stuff. The relationships, the trust, the communication, the rapport — all of that stuff’s being built. He’s here every day, obviously, and the guys are getting to know each other, which is a great thing.
“Like I said, I have no anxiety about it. I’m excited that he’s here — really excited that he’s here. And looking forward to it when he’s out there.”
The Raiders also have Brian Hoyer, Chase Garbers, and rookie Aidan O’Connell on the roster and they’ll be handling the QB duties until Garoppolo is able to return.