Former Patriots QB Opens Up About Return to Foxborough

The Los Angeles Rams quarterback shared his thoughts about facing the New England Patriots.

Sep 29, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (11) in a game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images / David Banks-Imagn Images

Back in 2014, the New England Patriots felt they had drafted their successor to Tom Brady. His name was Jimmy Garoppolo.

There was significant hype surrounding Garoppolo, and the fact that he looked good in brief action for the Patriots gave fans plenty of hope for the future.

But then, midway through the 2017 campaign, New England traded Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers, ending his tenure in Foxborough.

Seven years later, Garoppolo is a backup quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams, and he will be making his return to Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

So, what are the veteran's thoughts on returning to where it all started?

“It will be cool seeing the whole crowd and everything, cool seeing the stadium be packed out,” Garoppolo said, via Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times. “There’s a lot of good people there.”

Garoppolo added that he loves the Patriots faithful and "how passionate they were," adding that their forthrightness is what makes Boston "a good sports town."

But how is he expecting to be received?

“So we’ll see. Hopefully it’s all good and everything, but they booed Tom Brady when he came back, so you never know," Garoppolo said.

Well, chances are, Garoppolo won't be getting on the field, so the New England fans probably won't get the chance to cheer or boo their former signal-caller.

Garoppolo's career certainly hasn't gone according to plan. While he did lead the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance during the 2019-20 campaign, he was largely viewed as a system quarterback.

After spending six season in San Francisco, he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, where he had a wildly unsuccessful one-year run in 2023. He was then suspended for two games to begin 2024 after violating the league's performance-enhancing drugs policy.

The Raiders cut Garoppolo after last season. He then proceeded to sign with the Rams.

Now 33 years old, Garoppolo will likely be a reserve for the rest of his NFL career.

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