NFL Exec Feels Rams 'Secretly' Have Faith in Jimmy Garoppolo After Stafford Trade Buzz

Matthew Stafford will return as the Los Angeles Rams' starting quarterback in 2025, but he may not be the only quarterback on the roster with whom the organization is comfortable in a starting role.

According to Mike Sando of The Athletic, an anonymous NFL executive suggested that the Rams would have been fine with Jimmy Garoppolo as the starter had Stafford been traded, saying: "I think secretly they have faith in Jimmy Garoppolo. You don't mess around with your starting quarterback unless you are confident in the other guy."

ESPN's Sarah Barshop reported in February that the Rams had granted Stafford's agent permission to gauge his value across the league, which could have potentially led to a trade.

Both the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants were heavily linked to a trade for Stafford, but he ultimately agreed to remain in L.A. on a restructured contract.

When Stafford's future with the Rams was still up in the air, Dianna Russini of The Athletic said on her Scoop City podcast that Los Angeles was indeed "comfortable" with Jimmy G as a starting option.

Garoppolo, 33, is set to enter his second season as Stafford's backup with the Rams.

He played in and started only one game last season, going 27-of-41 for 334 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in a 30-25 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 18 after L.A. had already clinched a playoff spot.

It represented a solid bounce-back for Garoppolo after his performance in 2023 when he went 3-3 and threw seven touchdowns and nine interceptions with the Raiders before getting benched.

Garoppolo began his career as a backup to Tom Brady with the New England Patriots, winning two Super Bowl championships in his three seasons as a member of the Pats.

He was then traded to the San Francisco 49ers with whom he started 55 games over six seasons.

While Jimmy G was hampered by injuries for much of his Niners tenure, he mostly performed well when healthy, going 38-17 as a starter, and leading San Francisco to a Super Bowl appearance in 2019.

The 2019 season was also Garoppolo's best statistically, as he threw for a career-high 3,978 yards and 27 touchdowns, while going 13-3.

Garoppolo traditionally hasn't put up big numbers, but he has usually found a way to win in a starting role, which may be why the Rams were fine with the idea of him starting.

Had that been the case, he would have had plenty of offensive firepower to work with in 2025, including the wide receiver duo of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, as well as running back Kyren Williams.

Stafford will lead the way for a Rams team that has reached the playoffs in four of the past five seasons, but should he get injured, there are perhaps few better backup options in the league than Jimmy G.