Jimmy Garoppolo was in the Raiders’ facility on Thursday and was expected to have a press conference after agreeing to terms with the club earlier in the week.
But then that press conference was postponed, as Garoppolo hadn’t yet signed his contract.
All was resolved on Friday, as the newest Las Vegas quarterback put pen to paper and officially became a Raider.
So what happened on Thursday?
“It was honestly talking, [contract] language, things like that,” Garoppolo said in his introductory press conference, noting that there was “no worry” about the deal eventually getting done. “Both sides, I think, knew what we wanted to get done. It was very collaborative, actually, just us coming together.”
Garoppolo agreed to a three-year, $72.75 million deal with the Raiders on Monday. Given Garoppolo’s connections to head coach Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler, Las Vegas was always on the quarterback’s radar.
“Right off the bat when my agents gave me the list of teams, the Raiders were right up there,” Garoppolo said. “I had the familiarity with Josh, Dave [Ziegler] the G.M. All that played a role.”
Garoppolo, 31, said he feels like he still has things to prove as he begins the next chapter of his career.
“Hell yeah. I’m trying to win a Super Bowl,” Garoppolo said. “I know every player says that when they come up to their first press conference. But that’s my goal. I want to win a ring, get the Silver and Black back to where it should be.
“And I know that’s not an easy process — I’ve been through it [with] San Francisco [at the] lower end of the field when I first got there. It’s a process, but it’ll be worth it.”