The fate of 4 quarterbacks hang in the balance of 1 Wild Card Round game

II: Rams QB Jimmy Garoppolo

A long-time foe of the Los Angeles Rams, veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a hit to his reputation after signing on with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023. Despite competing in games that ended with a record of 4-3, Garoppolo's role in the Raiders 8-9 season was a huge disappointment for a team that felt they had everything in place for a postseason appearance.

Garoppolo was benched in favor of young QB Aidan O'Connell, a Round 4 rookie from the 2023 NFL Draft. And after serving as a backup on a team that presumed he would serve as the season-long starter, he knew that he would need to repair his reputation to create renewed interest in his quarterbacking in the NFL. So he naturally turned to the LA Rams.

The initial question asked by Rams fans, how would the team manage his suspension over the first two games of the regular season? Very carefully, it seemed.

The Rams were careful about how the team used veteran backup Jimmy Garoppolo throughout OTAs, mini-camp, training camp, and the preseason. Despite facing a two-game suspension, the team treated Jimmy G. like every other veteran with a presumed rotational role on the Rams roster, and held him out of all preseason games.

Garoppolo was tasked with running the Rams scouting team at practices this season, and earned praise on more than one occasion for how thoroughly he prepared the defense for the next opponent on the schedule. Garoppolo is a wily veteran, a competitive NFL quarterback who has competed in the NFL Playoffs and in a Super Bowl.

Does he still have it? In a Week 18 loss to the Seattle Seahawks playing with backups, Jimmy Garoppolo completed 27 of 41 passes for 334 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and was sacked three times. His performance with the junior varsity squad was the highest passing yards total by the team all season long.

Nobody wants to see Jimmy Garoppolo play in the postseason, for obvious reasons. But he proved a mastery of this offense in just one game, and has made a compelling case to be extended by the Rams.