If the Las Vegas Raiders truly are concerned about the health of their new quarterback, head coach Josh McDaniels sure is displaying a decent poker face on the matter.
Despite the fact that Jimmy Garoppolo underwent foot surgery after signing with the Raiders -- and that his initial contract required reworking because of the QB's health -- McDaniels said he isn't sweating Garoppolo's setback.
"I have no anxiety," McDaniels told reporters on Thursday. "You guys might have anxiety. I don't have any anxiety.
"I'm not going to put a timeline or a day on anything, but like I said, I have no anxiety. Feel pretty good about it."
The addendum in Garoppolo’s contract acknowledged that without the waiver added, he would not have passed the team's physical at the time of signing. He's not currently expected to practice at least until training camp, but there remains no concrete timeline, McDaniels reiterated, for Garoppolo's return date.
"This is football. There (are) definitely going to be players that miss time," McDaniels said. "Josh Jacobs wasn't able to do a whole lot last year either, and (he had a) decent year. I don't want to overstate any of that stuff. The relationships, the trust, the communication, the rapport, all that stuff is huge."
Asked why he's not anxious on the matter, McDaniels said, smiling: "I don't worry about the things I can't control. So like I said, I have very good information that would tell me we're going to be fine. So again, nothing has happened that would've changed that."
The Raiders signed Garoppolo to a three-year, $72.5 million deal in March as the centerpiece of a QB-room makeover this offseason following Derek Carr's release. Brian Hoyer, who has started 40 games in 15 seasons, signed as the Raiders' expected backup, and the team drafted Purdue's Aidan O’Connell in the fourth round, as well. McDaniels has worked extensively with Hoyer in their time together in New England, calling the QB "a true pro."
Garoppolo has been around the Raiders at the facility this offseason, even if he can't participate in what's viewed as a critical time for team building during the offseason.
"I don't want to overstate or understate the importance of OTAs or anything like that," McDaniels said. "It's an important time of the year. But there's also a lot of players that can't participate in it or … players that aren't participating in it across the league. So that doesn't mean this year's going to be bad for (Garoppolo) and not good for him and all the rest of it.
"So like I said, I have no anxiety about it. I'm excited that he's here. I'm really excited that he's here and looking forward to it."
