Rams' Backup QB Spot in Flux, Draft Becomes Quarterback Hunt

0:00It's April 20th. This is California News Today, AI-powered stories from your city. I'm Cory with the story. The Los Angeles Rams just got a curveball on their backup quarterback spot. Jimmy Garoppolo, their top free agent option behind Matthew Stafford, is seriously thinking about retirement at age 34. He started 64 games over 12 years and earned over $156 million, but sources say he's mulling a final call right. Before the NFL draft, Garoppolo backed up the game. Stafford the last two seasons, and everyone figured he'd return, but he stayed unsigned all-off season. The Rams sniffed around Kurt Cousins earlier, only for him to join the Las Vegas Raiders instead. Now, with no solid backup locked in, they're pivoting hard to the draft. Fans and analysts are buzzing because Stetson Bennett's been around three years, but lacks real passing upside. This forces the Rams to get creative without a star quarterback class to lean on. It hits home post Stafford era, where a reliable number two could grow into more.

1:02Recent meetings show they're eyeing LSU's newsmeyer after flying him in, and Alabama's tie Simpson is on their radar too. Though grabbing him might mean trading back from pick 13, they've done deep homework on Simpson, whose skills fit Sean McVase scheme despite his inexperience questions. This twist turns the Rams draft into a high stakes quarterback hunt, balancing a safe day to pick like Newsmeyer, or bold move for Simpson as the future guy. Either way, they can't leave empty-handed with Garoppolo's future up in the air.