Jimmy Garoppolo’s name is back in the mix for the Rams, and that matters because Los Angeles may still need the kind of insurance only a veteran backup can provide.
Garoppolo considered retirement earlier this offseason, which helped push the Rams toward a different path and led them to draft Ty Simpson in the first round. But that door isn’t shut.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo said Garoppolo is still open to playing this season if the fit is right: "In the right situation, he will come back and he will play football," said NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. "He has not decided to retire.
He just needed some time to himself this offseason. But Jimmy Garopplo is not retiring from my understanding."
The Rams know better than most how quickly the backup quarterback spot can turn into a problem. For much of the Sean McVay era, that position was a revolving door.
The team started with Sean Mannion, then moved to John Wolford. Wolford gave them some production, but his body couldn’t consistently handle the punishment that comes with the job.
That issue showed up again in 2022, when the Rams had to lean on Wolford and Bryce Perkins before bringing in Baker Mayfield. The following season brought another rough patch, with Brett Rypien starting a game the Rams lost. Since then, the franchise has clearly treated the backup role with more urgency.
Garoppolo arrived in 2024 as a free agent, brought in to help mentor Stetson Bennett as a possible long-term answer behind Stafford. But the results have been limited.
In two years, Garoppolo started one game, and Bennett has not appeared in a regular-season game. Bennett did show more comfort last year, which was at least a step forward.
Now the Rams are heading toward a 2026 backup quarterback battle between Bennett and Simpson, with the hope that Simpson wins it. But that still leaves a major question: if Matthew Stafford goes down, can a rookie or Bennett really be trusted to keep the season on track?
That concern is not theoretical. Stafford has generally stayed on the field, but he missed half of the 2022 season with a spinal cord contusion and sat out a game in 2023 because of a UCL sprain in his thumb. At this point last year, there was even uncertainty about whether he would be ready for Week 1 after missing all of training camp with a herniated disc in his back.
The Rams are hoping 2026 brings another healthy Stafford season. But if they’re chasing a Super Bowl, they also have to plan for the worst-case scenario.
Garoppolo may not be the player he once was, but he knows the offense and has already taken a team to the Super Bowl. He’s shown he can guide a roster with real talent deep into the postseason.
Bennett’s standing in all of this is murky. Los Angeles could have kept him as the lone backup and used him as a bridge option after Stafford.
Instead, the Rams spent the 13th overall pick on Simpson, a move that signals he’s the quarterback they want to develop for the future. That makes Bennett look more like a QB3, at best.
Simpson, though, is still a rookie with limited college experience and no NFL experience at all. The Rams would likely prefer to bring him along slowly, and having him open his career behind a veteran like Garoppolo would make sense from a development standpoint.
That creates a problem for Bennett, especially with his rookie contract ending and restricted free agency approaching. It’s unlikely the Rams would be eager to keep him at the tender amount.
So the cleanest path could be simple: move on from Bennett, bring Garoppolo back, and let Simpson learn behind two experienced quarterbacks. Stafford remains the clear centerpiece, Simpson is the future, and Garoppolo would give the Rams the kind of steady veteran presence they value most in a Super Bowl season.
If Garoppolo is looking for the right situation, Los Angeles has a strong case. He may not be asked to start, but backing up a contender and helping guide a young quarterback is a pretty good setup at this stage of his career.
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