Las Vegas Raiders Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo In Concussion Protocol

The Las Vegas Raiders broke some surprising injury news on Monday. Head coach Josh McDaniels revealed that starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has been placed in concussion protocol despite playing the entirety of Sunday night's 18-23 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

#Raiders coach Josh McDaniels tells reporters that QB Jimmy Garoppolo is in the NFL’s concussion protocol.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 25, 2023

Garoppolo endured a heavy workload and absorbed several crunching hits on Sunday, completing 28 of 44 pass attempts for 324 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions while absorbing four sacks. He played 100% of the offensive snaps.

Garoppolo's late concussion diagnosis speaks to the imperfection of the onfield protocol. Garoppolo appeared shaken following a number of plays last night but evidently passed all testing. Slipping through the cracks almost certainly put him at unnecessary risk.

Garoppolo joined the Raiders on a three-year, $72.75 million deal earlier this offseason. He has been a consistently effective quarterback when healthy, winning 41 of his 60 career starts and even leading the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl berth following the 2019 season.

Unfortunately for Garoppolo, "when healthy" has become a major caveat. Since entering the NFL as a second-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2014, Garoppolo has only cleared 10 starts in three seasons.

The Raiders desperately need a healthy season from Garoppolo. They're already 1-2 to open the season, and McDaniels is likely on a very short leash after a 6-11 2022 season. Hopefully, Garoppolo will make a speedy recovery.