Matthew Stafford’s job will never be in doubt for the Los Angeles Rams so long as he’s healthy and able to play. But if something were to happen to him, the Rams have a great backup solution for someone to step in for the star quarterback.
Veteran Jimmy Garoppolo, who enters his second season with L.A., was named the second-best backup quarterback by Sports Illustrated‘s Gilberto Manzano ahead of the 2025 season. Only the Atlanta Falcons‘ Kirk Cousins ranked higher.
“It doesn’t get much safer at quarterback than Garoppolo, who racked up 38 wins and made a Super Bowl appearance with the 49ers,” Manzano wrote. “Garoppolo can keep teams afloat amid injuries and has the skill set to run offenses smoothly. He lacks arm strength and is sometimes slow to react, but he has a nice gig in Los Angeles as Matthew Stafford’s backup. If Garoppolo is needed to play, he can lean on Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.”
Garoppolo was solid in one start this past season — a meaningless Week 18 loss where the Rams benched all their starters ahead of the playoffs. He completed 65.9% of his passes for 334 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. And that was with backups. If Garoppolo needed to play for Stafford, he’d likely get the full complement of weapons. He’s also played with Adams, albeit in an awful season with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Obviously, the Rams’ season would change dramatically without Stafford. But Garoppolo’s signing in 2024 and subsequent re-signing this offseason are corrections from the 2022 season, which saw a cavalcade of bad quarterbacks play with Stafford sidelined. Players like John Wolford, Bryce Perkins and even Baker Mayfield (pre-Buccaneers glow-up) combined for eight starts and went 2-6. Garoppolo likely won’t be that bad in a pinch.