Jimmy Garoppolo Comments on Opportunity to Start for Patriots

The New England Patriots took the field for their first practice of training camp Thursday, and backup quarterback-turned-starter Jimmy Garoppolo didn't waste any time expressing his excitement to begin the season as the leading man under center.

He spoke with the media after Thursday's practice, via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. 

"Yeah, it’s a great opportunity just like you said," the QB said. "You have to go out there and take advantage of it. You don’t get many opportunities in this league, you might only get one, so you’ve got to make the best of it."

Garoppolo was thrust into the starting job after the drawn-out saga that was Deflategate ended with Tom Brady accepting a four-game suspension handed down by the league. 

The third-year man, who the Patriots drafted in the second round out of Eastern Illinois in 2014, hasn't started a regular-season game to date. In his two years in the league, he's appeared in 11 games while attempting just 31 passes. 

He was slated to be the starter for the first four games of the 2015 season after Brady was suspended in May of that year, but just days before Week 1, Brady won his appeal and managed to play in every game. Garoppolo attempted just four passes, completing one for six yards. 

While this will be a limited starting experience for him, it is a huge opportunity that could affect his future in the NFL. 

If he is able to control the Patriots offense well while showcasing an accurate arm through the first four games of 2016, New England could try to lock him up long term, as he is only signed through the 2017 season, according to Spotrac. By that time, Brady will be 40 and could begin to slow down, forcing the team to look for a successor. 

But if the Patriots remain confident in the aging Brady, who turns 39 on August 3, another team that might like what it sees from Garoppolo could swoop in and promise him a starting job. 

Stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com.