BREAKING: Rams to Sign Ex 49ers, Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo

The Los Angeles Rams have agreed to sign former San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo
In this story:

In what has been a whirlwind day for the Los Angeles Rams thanks to the sudden retirement of future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald, another big move has been made. 

This time, on the offensive side of the ball, with the Rams coming to terms on a deal to sign former San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo, according to multiple reports.

The deal is reported to be for one year, giving the team some temporary peace of mind behind 36-year-old starter Matthew Stafford.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo leaves the field after losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game at SoFi Stadium.
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Rams, who were in desperate need of a solution behind the aging, albeit tough-as-nails Stafford, were looking to find a way to stabilize the depth of the position this offseason, especially given the departure of last year's backup, Carson Wentz.

In fact, just last month, Sean McVay echoed that sentiment impressing the need for a No. 2 QB.

"Right now, we got Matthew Stafford, and really in our minds, we don't have a backup quarterback that's on this roster," said McVay.

Suffice it to say, the importance of the backup QB spot was highlighted immensely after the Rams were forced to play without Matthew Stafford vs. the Packers at Lambeau Field.

That day, Brett Rypien was deployed as the starter to disastrous results, in what was one of their worst losses of the season.

Fortunately for the Rams, Garoppolo solves all of those issues and more, with 10 years of experience, as well as 81 games and 63 starts under his belt. 

In that time, Garoppolo spent three years with the Patriots, six years with the 49ers, and one year with the Raiders, throwing for 15,494 yards and 94 touchdowns. He also led his teams on 13 game-winning drives and to 13 comeback wins.

Aaron Donald Retires; Texas Tackle Byron Murphy Rams NFL Draft Focus?

Not to mention, two NFC Championship games (2019 and 2021) and one Super Bowl (2019), losing to the Rams on the way to L.A.'s Super Bowl LVI win.

Even with Garoppolo in hand, the Rams will still have plenty of opportunities to take QB in the upcoming draft. In fact, some have even projected the Rams to select Stafford's heir apparent as early as Round 1.

Now, however, that need is a little less dire, making the need for a first-round QB less likely - particularly given the hole left by Aaron Donald. 

Still, with Stafford recently turning 36 the Rams could still choose to prioritize the position for the future.


Published
Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan the Editor-In-Chief of RamDigest.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com