Jimmy Garoppolo, Los Angeles Rams
Getty
Jimmy Garoppolo #11 of the Los Angeles Rams looks on before the NFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Carolina Panthers.
The Los Angeles Rams’ quarterback room could look quite different by the start of next season, even with Matthew Stafford returning. The Rams’ quarterback room is not immune to offseason changes, which could be particularly true for Jimmy Garoppolo.
Garoppolo just wrapped his second season with LA, and he heads to free agency as the youngest of four options with Super Bowl experience.
However, Garoppolo’s greatest asset could be familiarity.
Jimmy Garoppolo on Rams Rival’s Radar
Jimmy Garoppolo, Los Angeles Rams
GettyJimmy Garoppolo #11 of the Los Angeles Rams before facing the Houston Texans.
Garoppolo, who turns 35 in November, has completed 65.9% of his passes for 334 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception during his Rams tenure, and he did not attempt a pass during the 2025 regular season.
Still, Garoppolo’s name surfaced at the 2026 NFL combine in Indianapolis.
“The Cardinals … have their eye on free agent Jimmy Garoppolo,” The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin wrote on February 28. “Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort helped draft Garoppolo for the Patriots in 2014, and new coach Mike LaFleur and Garoppolo spent the last two years with the Rams.”
Garoppolo signed a pair of one-year contracts with the Rams, which totaled $6.2 million, and he has earned $157.9 million in his career.
Spotrac projected Garoppolo’s market value at one-year, $2.3 million. That would be a bargain for the Cardinals if he stepped in and allowed them to develop or wait for their quarterback of the future.
Jimmy Garoppolo Has Valuable Experience
Jimmy Garoppolo, Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
GettyMatthew Stafford #9 and Jimmy Garoppolo #11 of the Los Angeles Rams before a game against the Dallas Cowboys.
The No. 62 overall pick of his class, Garoppolo won two Super Bowls as a backup with the Patriots in 2014 and 2016. He has also played for the Las Vegas Raiders and, perhaps fittingly, the San Francisco 49ers.
Garoppolo led the 49ers, another one of the Rams’ NFC West rivals, to the Super Bowl in 2019.
He has a 15,828-96-52 line on 67.6% completion in his 12-year career, and he is 43-21 as a starting quarterback.
The Rams losing Garoppolo would be significant, even if it were willingly. He stepped in as QB1 during training camp and the preseason in 2025 as Stafford dealt with a back injury. The only other quarterback the Rams have under contract is Stetson Bennett IV.
Bennett has yet to attempt a pass in the regular season, even in mop-up duty.
Stafford, who is coming off an MVP-winning season, turned 38 in February, underscoring the time-sensitive nature of the Rams’ situation with their roster and the quarterback position.
Rams Get Update on 2026 QB Class
Jimmy Garoppolo, Los Angeles Rams
GettyJimmy Garoppolo #11 of the Los Angeles Rams watches play against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Rams were once viewed as a popular landing spot for a quarterback in the first round of the 2026 draft. The possibility remains, but has been greatly diminished after the 2025 NCAA season.
Still, they got an updated snapshot on this year’s prospects and some official numbers to put with their previous scouting data.
If Garoppolo leaves, the Rams will need a quarterback.
Adding a rookie to an already-inexperienced room behind Stafford (which would only be Bennett until someone else is brought in) would leave the Rams woefully thin at the game’s most important position.
They have been speculatively linked to multiple veterans, including free agents like Marcus Mariota and trade targets like Spencer Rattler of the New Orleans Saints.
The Rams would be taking a big risk by not further addressing their QB position.
How that jibes with the rest of the Rams’ plans for their roster this offseason is unclear, with free agency and the draft both still to come.