Garoppolo Weighs Retirement, Rams Seek Backup

0:00On April 20th, Jimmy Garoppolo, the Rams' backup quarterback, is thinking about hanging up his cleats for good at age 34. After 12 years in the NFL and earning over $156 million, he's a free agent weighing retirement. The Rams have shown real interest in keeping him behind Matthew Stafford, but it might not happen. He spent the last two seasons as their number two guy, but barely saw action only four games total with just one start. That came in week 18 of the 2024 season against the Seahawks, where he threw for 334 yards, two touchdowns. And one pick, almost pulling off the win. Last year, he didn't even attempt to pass, just knelt to end games. Fans and folks around the league know Garoppolo's story well. Drafted in the second round out of Eastern Illinois, he backed up Tom Brady for three years in New England before getting traded to San Francisco. There, he took the Niners to one Super Bowl and two NFC Championship games, building a

1:00solid rep as a big game player. Rams head coach Sean McVey made it public last month that they won him back, but Garoppolo's silence on the field last season and his free agency, statically things up in the air. No deal yet, and retirement talks are heating up. If he walks, the Rams will scramble for a reliable backup, but Garoppolo's legacy stays intact either way. Many of highlights from a career that dodged the long shadows of legends like Brady.