New Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo, in His Own Words
HENDERSON, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders took a big chance in letting go of Derek Carr, who is nearly always available, for Jimmy Garoppolo, a wildly talented player struggling with availability.
If Jimmy G stays healthy, the Raiders made a good move. If true to his track record, he misses time with injury in 2023, the Raiders will have the proverbial egg on their facet with an epic personnel mistake.
Jimmy took to the platform to discuss being a Raider, and you can watch the entire press conference below or read the transcript:
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo
Opening Statement: "I just want to say thank you all for coming, first of all, I really appreciate it. Happy St. Patrick's Day everybody. I just want to thank the Yorks, thank the 49ers for everything that they've done. My time there was awesome. I enjoyed it, a lot of ups and downs. It was a fun time but turning the page now, moving on to the next chapter in my life, and can't wait to get started in Vegas. So, I'll open up for questions."
Q: Just going back to yesterday there was a little bit of a delay in signing. Any light that you could shed on what happened and was there any kind of worry that this couldn't get done?
Garoppolo: "No worry. I mean it was just talking, language, things like that. But no, both sides I think knew what we wanted to get done, so it was very collaborative actually, just us coming together."
Q: Have you had any chance to have any conversations with your new teammates so far?
Garoppolo: "Just text. I actually met a couple of guys in here the last couple of days. Andre James, saw him walking through – character of a guy, like him so far. But I talked to Davante [Adams], Maxx [Crosby]. They were like the first two to text me when this first started happening. So, I'm excited to meet everyone else."
Q: Obviously you have a lot of history with Josh McDaniels, playing for him in New England back in the day; but it has been a few years since you played in that system. What sort of goes into that process of kind of reintegrating yourself into the system – not relearning it, but the kind of picking it back up after spending some years in another system?
Garoppolo: "I think there's a different – Kyle [Shanahan]'s offense versus Josh's offense, there's just a different mindset behind it. So, I think revamping the mind like that is the first step, and then just relearning the language. Basically, it's like going Spanish to French – something like that. And it won't take long, but I think Josh's offense, obviously, has evolved over the years and I've just got to pick it up as quickly as possible. But it'll be fun."
Q: In your 49ers opening presser, you were asked what the single-most important thing you learned in playing behind Tom Brady and you cited work ethic. Fast forward to today, now being the starter in San Francisco over the past six years, what is the single most important thing that you learned in being the starter there?
Garoppolo: "Work ethic is probably still up there. Preparation or work ethic, I think those two things. The NFL is a hard place. A lot of talent, everyone's fast, everyone can throw, all these things, but I think those two things will really set you apart, and your mindset too. It's not easy to win games in this league, but if you've got those little things going for you, you've got a chance."
Q: As far as you've taken teams, and as much as you've done, is there still stuff to prove at this point when you come into a new situation?
Garoppolo: "Hell yeah. I mean, I'm trying to win a Super Bowl. I know every player says that when they come up to their first press conference, but that's my goal. I want to go get a ring, get the Silver and Black back to where it should be. And I know it's not an easy process. I went through it in San Francisco, lower end of the field when I first got there. But it's a process, but it'll be worth it."
Q: When you approached free agency, was this on the radar – the Raiders and Las Vegas?
Garoppolo: "Yeah. Oh, yeah. They were right off the bat, actually. When my agents gave me the first list of teams, the Raiders were right up there. I have a familiarity with Josh [McDaniels], Dave [Ziegler] the GM, all that played a role."
Q: Do you see yourself here as the long-term starter?
Garoppolo: "I'm coming in with the mindset that I need to earn everything. I don't want to be given any: 'You're the franchise guy,' or whatever. I want to come in and earn it. I think that'll come through hard work, working with the teammates, being at the facility. All those little things will play a role, but I don't want to be given anything. I want to earn it."
Q: What is your progress right now with the, I think it was a Lisfranc foot injury, and how have you kind of mentally worked through that process in terms of adversity and dealing with that injury?
Garoppolo: "I've had injuries in the past, so the mental part wasn't – initially it sucks, obviously. You hate being in that situation. But once I got past that initial part, especially once we started to make a little bit of a run in the playoffs last year, I was getting ready to ramp up again and be ready. But things didn't work out, and I'm glad with how things ended up, I would say."
Q: You've kind of had a winding path to this point from being a backup, to being the unquestioned starter, to going into a season as a backup again and having to jump in as a starter. Have all these twists and turns prepared you to kind of be ready for anything at this point?
Garoppolo: "Yeah, I think that's the NFL. You never know what your path is going to be. Everyone has a different story, but I think as long as you keep rolling with the punches, keep believing in yourself, good things will happen. And I've been fortunate enough to be surrounded by good teammates, good coaches and good things have happened for me. So, just trying to keep that going forward."
Q: Can you talk about your first ever interaction that you can remember having with Josh McDaniels and what it was like getting to know him to kind of what he's like now as a coach?
Garoppolo: "Yeah, we actually had a funny first interaction. So, it was the combine process, you go on your one-day visit to a team and I was meeting with Josh [McDaniels]. He was running me through the offense on the board and I don't know if it was planned, but I swear he planned it and Tom Brady walked in. And I thought it was to throw me off a little bit because I've never met him before -- a little starstruck. But, yeah, he walked out and everything, Josh kept going with the teaching and that was our first interaction."
Q: When you were with the 49ers, you shared the market for a little bit anyway with the Raiders before they moved here. What were your impressions and your thought process of what this franchise represented back then to where it is now?
Garoppolo: “To be honest, growing up I didn't know a whole ton about the Raiders. I grew up in Chicago. The only thing I knew about the Raiders was my dad, he was a Bears fan, but he also liked the Raiders. He always said they were a cool team, they were the team that we wanted to cheer for, the bad asses. And that was kind of my impression of the Raiders. Other than that, I mean, it was a cool organization. I can remember Ken Stabler, guys like that, just hard-nosed guys. It was cool. And that's what we're trying to get back to."
Q: Obviously, you have your family here with you. Why is that important for them to be here with you on a day like this?
Garoppolo: "I wouldn't be here without them. It's cool having them out here. It's just a blessing. They've helped me with so much stuff on the field, off the field, whatever it is. And it's just thanking them, I guess."
Q: For those in Raider Nation that don't know, what are you bringing to this team? What are you bringing to the organization?
Garoppolo: "I'm trying to bring an energy, trying to get everyone on the same page, get everyone rolling in the same direction. And like I said before, I'm trying to earn it. Just because I'm the quarterback, I'm not the leader because of that. I want to be the leader because guys respect me and believe in me, and I think that starts with hard work. And so, I'll try to do that as much as I can and take from there."
Q: For this situation, you got Josh Jacobs that you can hand the ball off to, Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow. How appealing is that for a quarterback?
Garoppolo: "Very. I mean, whenever you got skill position guys like that, the run after catch, I'm a big believer. And I think if you give them an accurate ball, if you got the right guys who can make a play, and we seem to have the right guys here. So, you've just got to get working together."
Q: This franchise had the same guy under center for nearly a decade. How are you hoping to come in and make this role your own, and what is your message to Raider Nation as they get to know you?
Garoppolo: "I think it'll happen naturally. I don't want to force anything, be unauthentic. I just want to be myself and it's done me well in the past. I think the hard-working part, setting the example for the young guys, bringing everyone along, getting everyone on the same page. I think those are the little things that go a long way, and like I said before, I'm trying to bring an energy to this building, get everyone going in the right direction. And when you have that passion, when you play with passion on the field, I think it translates to the building, too. And that's what I'm trying to do."
Q: One thing that Kyle Shanahan loves about you and advocated for you when the trade was made back from 2017, was your leadership style. What type of leadership style do you hope to bring here?
Garoppolo: “A real one. I think I started repeating myself, but I think a real one, a passionate one, one that the fans could feel good about. I'm a big believer in that. It's a spectator sport, we're putting on a show out there for the fans, and if we could do it in the right way, things will work out.”
Q: Since you're familiar with McDaniels' offensive system and there are some guys coming in who maybe aren't, how important is your job off the field, this offseason and kind of getting them up to speed so you guys can hit the ground running?
Garoppolo: “Very important, I was actually just talking to Josh about it. It'll take me, you know, I got to get my stuff down first before I could start helping everybody and getting us all on the same page. But that comes with the territory of a quarterback, I guess. You just got to do a little bit of everything, but I'm looking forward to it. We had guys, Philip [Dorsett] was with me in New England. Jakobi [Meyers] obviously had played in that system. So, there's some familiarity. We've just got to get it all on the same page, I think, and as quickly as possible.”
Q: Can you kind of expand a little bit on the mystique of the Raiders? You've seen the carnival of characters that dress up in the black hole and all that stuff, what is it like to be a part of that now?
Garoppolo: “It's really cool. It really is. Just get to wear black, all black. I mean, that's, that's one of the coolest parts of it, I think. I know it sounds cliche, but it's just, I don't know, it's a lot of little things and I don't know everything about the Raiders yet, but I want to embrace the culture, embrace the history of this organization. The players who I've seen on the walls here is really cool. I get a kick out of history a little bit. So, it's going to be fun going forward. I can't wait to emerge myself in it.”
Q: What's your initial assessment of the Las Vegas market in terms of being an NFL home?
Garoppolo: “I've only been here for a couple of days, so I haven't gotten a ton of experience with it, but we went out to dinner with the family last night and people seem to be very fired up around here. A lot of football fans out there. We walked through one of the casinos to the restaurant and the place was going crazy. So, I'm excited about that part of it for sure.”
Q: If I remember correctly, back in college you didn't even have a playbook. How much of a blessing in disguise was that when transitioning into the NFL?
Garoppolo: “I mean, it made it tough honestly. But thankfully, Josh [McDaniels] and Jerry Schuplinski, they basically raised me in the NFL. I didn't know what a Mike point was. I didn't know how to set up protection, but they taught me all that stuff back in the New England days and it's done me very well going forward. So, I appreciate those guys and I'm going to keep trying to learn from them.”
Q: You mentioned wanting to get the Raiders back to championship winning ways and that's something that when Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziggler were hired, they kind of said the goal is to compete for championships year in and year out. How confident are you that this team can reach that place quickly?
Garoppolo: “I'm confident. I also know that it's a very tough road and you never want to go into it and set expectations too high. You want to go in and know that you're going to work hard, enjoy the process, and I truly believe that that's what gets you to February at the end of the year. If you try to skip through the process and take shortcuts, you're not making the playoffs. That's just the reality of this league and I'm a firm believer in that. So, I think if we put in the work, do all the things the right way and get the right people in here, that's a good start.”
Q: I'm not sure if you've had the chance yet, but have you been to Allegiant Stadium as of yet? And just initial impressions of it?
Garoppolo: “I've seen it from the outside. We're getting a tour later. So, I'm looking forward to that, but everyone keeps raving about it, man. Just the environment, everything. I can't wait.”
Q: There’s a handful of Patriots now here with the Raiders. You spent years with the Patriots and you always hear that the Patriot way. What is the Patriot way?
Garoppolo: “It's been a while since I was there, man. I think just working hard. I mean, to be in the NFL, you have to have that, you have to work hard, you have to do the right thing. You have to be willing to be unselfish for your teammate. And I don't know, I'm a big believer in all those things. I think that's what makes for a good team. That what makes for an unselfish team. And when you could do that, when the leaders of your team can do that, it kind of trickles down to everyone else.”
Q: A lot of people have followed Josh McDaniels here, yourself included. What is it about him as a coach that makes you want to go play for him?
Garoppolo: “For me, it starts with, he's very smart. He's very smart. He taught me the game of football basically in the NFL. But he cares, too, about the game like he cares about winning. You could really tell just talking to him that winning is important to him, and I wouldn't say that's true about everyone in the NFL. So, when you do get an opportunity like that, I mean, it's hard to pass up.”
Q: Jakobi Meyers was in here yesterday and he kind of said when he first started with Josh McDaniels, it was bit much. He didn't really like it necessarily, and then he realized like: 'Oh, I get what this guy is.' Did you have that similar experience?
Garoppolo: "It's very similar actually. It's a blessing in disguise almost. It's one of those things -- I was talking to my brother about it the other day -- you hate it initially, especially as a young player, you're like: 'Man this is hard,' and it is hard. Like the NFL is hard, but you appreciate it later in your career, because you're like: 'I'm glad I went through that because it's making everything else so much easier.' So, there's a give and take there, but Josh [McDaniels], he'll push you, but you appreciate it in the end."
Q: Josh McDaniels when he took this job talked about how past experiences kind of molded him. For you and your journey with everything you come across, how do you feel like it has molded you?
Garoppolo: "Being at three different organizations, you see a lot of different (comparisons) and contrasts, I guess you could say. You see what you like and see what you don't like and what's good and what's bad. I'm just trying to come here and bring a little bit of everything, just make this a family. I think that's the first step in winning football games is making the building a family, making everyone push in the right direction, and if we could do that as a good start."
Q: I remember during the Super Bowl, you sharing the experience of starting out as a linebacker and then trying to transition. Going from that and then going to quarterback and the transition process, just coming from being a linebacker and knowing defense, how much kind of easier did it make it now to deal with transition?
Garoppolo: "I was only a high school linebacker. We were running like two coverages I think at the time, so I wouldn't say I knew it very well. But I think it gave me a mindset that's different than most quarterbacks, which I appreciate. I think I just try to be one of the guys, because that's what I was my whole life. I had two older brothers who if you get a little too cocky, they're going to bring you down real quick. So, that's kind of my mindset behind it. But no I'm glad I started as a linebacker, I think it kind of molded me as a person."
Q: You had a pretty viral moment walking through the building yesterday. Was that a genuine feeling about this building?
Garoppolo: "Yeah, it really was. Everyone told me so many good things about it before we got here, how big it was, awesome, everything and you're like: 'OK, it can't be that good,' but then you pull up and it really was. It was overwhelming at first, but I'm blessed to be here, man. I'm so excited."
Q: What you think about just living in Las Vegas, and where did you have dinner?
Garoppolo: "STRIPSTEAK. Yeah, so we went there. First impressions of Vegas, I'm excited about living here. I haven't really gotten a feel for the neighborhoods around everything, pretty much have just been to the strip and the facility, but I'm excited about it. I've heard good things. I've heard whatever you're looking for in the neighborhood, you can find it out here. My grandparents actually lived here, it was probably like for 10, 15 years, something like that. So they lived out here, we visited them a little bit. That was really my only exposure to it, but I'm excited about it. It'll be fun."
Q: They call this the sports and entertainment capital. Are you overall a big sports fan like with racing, basketball and other stuff?
Garoppolo: "F1 I haven't really gotten into. I think it'd be really cool to see a race here. But the other sports, yeah. Hockey, huge hockey fan. I'm really excited to get to the Knight games. I heard those are exciting. But yeah, baseball, basketball, I'm into all that stuff and all that stuff and the UFC will be pretty cool too. This town special, and I'm looking forward to it."
Q: Who is your favorite fighter?
Garoppolo: "Jon Bones [Jones] is pretty -- I mean knowing Chandler [Jones] and everything, I'd have to say Jon."
The 2023 NFL Draft will go from April 27-29 and be held at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo. The 2023 NFL Year and Free Agency period began at 4 p.m. EDT on March 15.
The Raiders are expected to be significant players in the free-agent market this season.
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