After some ‘chaotic’ seasons, Rams QB Jimmy Garoppolo is having fun again

LOS ANGELES — After a wild few seasons, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo finally looks relaxed.

The 10-year veteran has returned to a backup role, with both Garoppolo and the Los Angeles Rams recognizing it was the perfect time to unite. Garoppolo was looking for some solid footing, while the Rams wanted a reliable insurance policy for starter Matthew Stafford.

It’s been a great pairing so far, especially after Garoppolo dealt with so much uncertainty in recent years.

“It was chaotic at times, but they’re all learning experiences,” Garoppolo told The Athletic. “That’s one thing I’ve taken from this. The NFL is crazy, man. Everyone has got a story. Everyone is going whichever way trying to make it. But at the end of the day, it’s your story, and you’ve got to make the best of it. Good, bad, or indifferent, whatever happened in the past, it happened. … Now I’m here, and I’m just trying to make every day the best day.”

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Garoppolo’s career as a whole has been remarkably eventful. The New England Patriots drafted him in the second round in 2014, with Bill Belichick pointing toward Tom Brady’s age as a primary reason for exploring a potential succession plan. But when Brady’s play didn’t diminish as he got older, the Patriots traded Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers in 2017.

Garoppolo tore his ACL in 2018, guided the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2019 and lost most of his 2020 season due to a high ankle sprain. Garoppolo maintained the starting job in 2021 after the Niners made a massive draft investment in Trey Lance, but the team had prepared to turn to Lance in 2022, causing an unpredictable chain reaction that seemed to lay the groundwork for Garoppolo’s trade or release. Instead, he reworked his contract and subbed in for Lance after his gruesome ankle injury in Week 2 but eventually went down again with his own Lisfranc injury, paving the way for Brock Purdy’s emergence.

Nary a dull moment, Garoppolo endured a grueling recovery from offseason foot surgery before joining the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023, but he was benched midseason on the same day of head coach Josh McDaniels’ firing.

So you can see why a backup job with the Rams and an opportunity to reset was appealing for Garoppolo.

“It’s really nice having a healthy offseason,” Garoppolo said. “I haven’t had one of those in a while. The foot surgery was tough last year. For anyone who’s ever been through that, that wasn’t a fun recovery, but I feel like I’m back to myself. Being in this role, I get to experiment with some things, being with the 2s. I get to be myself. I haven’t had that in a little while, so it feels nice to get back to that.

Garoppolo largely credited Stafford and Rams coach Sean McVay for being the reasons he wanted to play in Los Angeles. McVay, in particular, impressed Garoppolo when the two chatted on the phone. Garoppolo, who drew interest from other teams, also was eager to learn about Stafford’s process.

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Garoppolo, who will serve a two-game suspension to start the season after violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy, also understood during the offseason that a guaranteed starting job wasn’t going to be on the table. Sure, he could have gone somewhere to compete with a young quarterback, but that would have led to a similar dynamic that he experienced in San Francisco where the organization would inevitably lean on the long-term investment. Similarly, teams starting over at QB generally have head coaches whose job security isn’t as stable, which he just witnessed in Vegas.

McVay is as close to a sure thing as there is in the league, and his offensive scheme speaks for itself. The vibe in the Rams’ building is also as strong as it gets.

There was a litany of reasons for Garoppolo to take a step back in southern California.

“This place allows you to be yourself, too, which is different than other places I’ve been. You’re getting pressed with a sense of urgency but in a good way. Obviously, everyone wants to win. Everyone wants to perform well. They do it in the right way here. They push you positively. There’s just a lot of good things going on, man. I’m enjoying every bit of it. Even the meetings are a good time. Everything is going good right now.”