Once upon a time, Jimmy Garoppolo was seen as Tom Brady's successor for the New England Patriots. That obviously didn't happen, and he ended up being traded to the San Francisco 49ers in October of 2017. For a very brief time, when the 49ers gave him a nice contract, "Jimmy G" was the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.
Garoppolo hit free agency in 2023, and he signed a three-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders. He, of course, reunited with former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who had become the Raiders' head coach.
Garoppolo's tenure in Las Vegas lasted just one season. Despite sitting out two of the Raiders' first eight games in 2023, he led the NFL with nine interceptions when he was benched in favor of Aidan O'Connell. The benching, not coincidentally, came in concert with McDaniels being fired.
Sean McVay is drinking way too much of the Jimmy Garoppolo Kool-Aid
After being released by the Raiders in March of 2024, Garoppolo landed with the Los Angeles Rams on a one-year deal to be Matthew Stafford's backup. Working with head coach Sean McVay can also be very good for a quarterback's career.
Garoppolo's only action last season came in Week 18, with the Rams having already clinched a playoff spot. He played surprisingly well, completing 27 of his 41 passes for 334 yards and two touchdowns, also throwing an interception.
It's unclear what, if any, other options he had, but Garoppolo made a wise decision to return to the Rams on another one-year deal this March. If one sees him at the right moment, they could probably talk themselves into Garoppolo being a good quarterback. In other moments, he can look like he's absolutely replaceable, or even barely roster-worthy.
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Kay Adams did the Friday edition of her show, "Up and Adams," from Rams' training camp, and she asked McVay if he felt like he had the best backup quarterback in the league.
"There's no doubt in my mind he is a starting quarterback in this league."
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) July 25, 2025
Sean McVay on why having Jimmy G as QB2 is a blessing in L.A. @heykayadams | @RamsNFL #RamsHouse | @JimmyG_10 pic.twitter.com/PLBHw9VU0m
"I do," McVay said. "I look at Jimmy, he's a starting quarterback. ... Jimmy has played at a really high level, and he's going into Year 12. He's got so many things to bring to the table. ... We were really fortunate he chose to come back here, because he had a lot of other opportunities. There's no doubt in my mind he is a starting quarterback in this league, and I think he'll get a chance to be able to do that again."
In terms of "other opportunities," it's unlikely Garoppolo could've signed anywhere to be a starter this year. As far as opportunities to be a backup go, there aren't many better places than the Rams. So the list of opportunities surely shortened quickly, and the decision was easy.
McVay is channeling McDaniels with his rosy view of Garoppolo, but one thing is for sure:
Former Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams, who was the Rams' biggest offseason acquisition, will be praying Stafford stays healthy this season. On the Netflix show "Receiver," which chronicled the 2023 season, Adams made his disdain for catching passes from Garoppolo very clear.
On the other hand, Raider Nation is surely somehow hoping Adams, in light of his not being able to let go of how his time with the team went, will have to catch passes from Garoppolo again. Then, Rams fans can share the pain that was felt back in 2023 in Las Vegas.