Jimmy Garoppolo considering retirement, but the Rams hope he'll return as Matthew Stafford's backup
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jimmy Garoppolo is considering retirement, but the Los Angeles Rams are hoping he decides to return for another season as their backup quarterback. The Rams also have made progress on another contract restructuring with AP NFL MVP Matthew Stafford , general manager Les Snead said Tuesday. The 34-year-old Garoppolo has been Stafford's backup for the past two seasons after spending the previous decade in New England, San Francisco — where he led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance and two NFC title games — and Las Vegas.
Garoppolo has played only 84 snaps for the Rams, with 66 of those in the 2024-25 regular-season finale when Stafford rested. Garoppolo hasn't yet landed with another team to compete for a starting job, Snead acknowledged the quarterback is considering all of his options. “Jimmy has always been priority No.
1 for the backup, so we’re letting him go through his process,” Snead said while speaking about the upcoming NFL draft , in which the Rams hold the 13th overall pick. “And then from there, we go to the next steps. ” Coach Sean McVay has repeatedly said over the past two years that Garoppolo should be an NFL starter, which means the Rams have always had ideas on how to proceed if Garoppolo left.
“Wanted to be able to give him his time," McVay said. "He knows that he's a really important part of what we want to do. Hopeful that the contemplation is (just) that, and that when the time is right, he'll change his mind.
" McVay says the Rams have faith in third-string quarterback Stetson Bennett, the two-time national champion at Georgia who was drafted by Los Angeles in the fourth round in 2023. Bennett missed his rookie season to focus on his mental health, and he has yet to take an NFL snap in the regular season — but he has played extensively in the preseason, and he worked behind Garoppolo as the Rams' second-string quarterback while Stafford missed most of training camp last season with a back injury. “He's improved tremendously,” McVay said of Bennett.