The Pittsburgh Steelers have back-to-back primetime matchups in Week 2 and Week 3 next season, and that Week 3 matchup on Sunday Night Football against the Las Vegas Raiders could get a little bit interesting. Pro Football Talk reported on Saturday that there’s a clause in Jimmy Garoppolo’s contract that he signed with Las Vegas in March related to the foot injury he suffered last season as a member of the San Francisco 49ers. Garoppolo had surgery on the foot after signing with Vegas, but he failed his initial physical due to the injury and any further injury to the foot could render his contract void.
The addendum to his contract allows the Raiders 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 2023 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,” per Mike Florio.
Basically, the contract Garoppolo signed with Las Vegas is contingent on the health of his foot. He’s missed all of OTAs due to the surgery he had on his foot, and if he can’t pass a physical, the Raiders will cut him with no financial obligation. For Pittsburgh, this means that they don’t know what quarterback they’re going to face in Week 3. Behind Garoppolo, the Raiders have veteran Brian Hoyer and rookie Aidan O’Connell. Hoyer’s a veteran, spending most of his career with the New England Patriots but bouncing around the league a bit.
He’s faced the Steelers as a starter three times, twice as a member of the Cleveland Browns and once as a member of the Indianapolis Colts, going 1-2 in his career against Pittsburgh with the win coming on a day when he was just 8-17, but the Browns easily blew out the Steelers 31-10 in Week 6 of the 2014 season. Meanwhile, Garoppolo is 1-0 against Pittsburgh, leading the 49ers to a 24-20 win over the Mason Rudolph-led Steelers in Week 3 of 2019. Garoppolo had three of San Francisco’s five turnovers that day, with two interceptions and a fumble, but threw for 277 yards and the game-winning touchdown pass to Dante Pettis.
As of now, the Steelers should still plan on facing Garoppolo, but the new information definitely bears watching as to his status with the Raiders going forward. Clearly, the foot injury is severe enough that Las Vegas wanted maximum protection against re-injury or his inability to recover, and there’s a chance he’s no longer a member of the team when Week 3 rolls around. It’s definitely a situation that bears monitoring in Pittsburgh, especially given that the matchup against the Raiders is early in the season. While Garoppolo is still the favorite to be the starter for Las Vegas, the situation looks a lot more tenuous than it when the schedule was released earlier this month.
