Top Landing Spots for Jimmy Garoppolo With 2026 NFL Training Camps Underway

Jimmy Garoppolo may be making an NFL comeback, even if he never truly left.

The 12-year veteran was contemplating retirement early in the offseason, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport (h/t Bleacher Report's Timothy Rapp). According to NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo, however, Garoppolo will not retire and will instead consider coming back to play "in the right situation."

Garoppolo may not have a myriad of options at this point in the offseason, as training camps are underway and most QB rooms are filled. However, this doesn't mean he can't find an attractive landing spot at some point in 2026.

Here, we'll dive into Garoppolo's top options based on factors like roster makeup, scheme fit, and coaching familiarity.

Indianapolis Colts

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

Colts QB Daniel Jones

On paper, the Indianapolis Colts have their starting quarterback in Daniel Jones, who had a terrific debut season with the club in 2025 before suffering a season-ending Achilles tear. A former first-round pick of the Giants, Jones proved to be a dangerous dual-threat in Indy and a winning starter.

Jones posted a 100.2 passer rating with an 8-5 record before he was lost for the season. The good news is that Jones appears to be on track to start for the Colts in Week 1.

"I'm doing everything. Cleared to do everything. I think it's just about, at this point, sharpening that," Jones told reporters on July 10 (h/t The Athletic's James Boyd).

The bad news is that if Jones suffers a setback or can't return to pre-injury form, Indy's season could be sunk. The Colts didn't win a single game without Jones in 2025 and watched an 8-2 start turn into an 8-9 overall record.

Garoppolo is more of a traditional pocket passer than Jones, but he's an experienced player with 57 regular-season starts on his resume. He'd give the Colts a better insurance policy than they currently have in Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard.

Los Angeles Rams

AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea

Rams head coach Sean McVay

A return to the Los Angeles Rams is probably near the top of Garoppolo's wish list. The Rams are widely viewed as Super Bowl favorites following the arrival of Trent McDuffie and Myles Garrett. They're also familiar to Garoppolo, who spent the past two seasons as the backup in L.A.

Garoppolo also has the full support of head coach Sean McVay, who made it known that he'd welcome the 34-year-old back if he didn't retire early this offseason.

"I'd love to have Jimmy Garoppolo back with us. That's a big deal for us. He's earned the right to be able to take his time and do whatever he wants," McVay said during the NFL spring meetings, per Stu Jackson of the team's official website.

Now, it's certainly worth noting that the Rams have added to their quarterback room since the early offseason. They used a first-round pick on Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, though they made it perfectly clear he was selected with the future in mind.

"We've always known that there will be a time when we need our future quarterback," GM Les Snead said, per Michael Baca of the team's official website. "And the way the stars aligned in this draft, that was the opportunity."

Reigning MVP Matthew Stafford is clearly the Rams' QB of the present, but Los Angeles should want a stronger backup plan than an unpolished rookie and Stetson Bennett. Garoppolo would be exactly that.

New England Patriots

AP Photo/Charles Krupa

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and OC Josh McDaniels

Garoppolo began his NFL career as a second-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2014. Over a decade later, it may be time for a return.

The Patriots obviously have their quarterback in Drake Maye, who led the team to Super Bowl LX last season and was an MVP finalist. However, New England's backup options aren't ideal. Naturally, New England hopes that Maye will stay healthy all season, but if he can't, it'll have to turn to Tommy DeVito or seventh-round rookie Behren Morton.

Adding Garoppolo would give New England a much more reliable backup option. While Garoppolo only started two games during his time with the Patriots, he spent three seasons with the franchise and three years under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who returned to New England last offseason.

McDaniels and Garoppolo were also together during the 2023 season with the Las Vegas Raiders.

While the McDaniels-Garoppolo connection would be a big piece of the equation for New England, it's also worth noting that the Patriots have a history of bringing back former backups for quarterback depth.

Jacoby Brissett was drafted by the Patriots in 2016 and made a return in 2024, while Brian Hoyer had three different multi-year stints in New England. The franchise clearly values familiarity, and Garoppolo would provide it.

San Francisco 49ers

AP Photo/Terrance Williams

49ers QB Mac Jones

The San Francisco 49ers are another of Garoppolo's former teams that would make for a logical landing spot, though things would come with a caveat.

The 49ers have their starter in Brock Purdy, and they have a high-end backup in Mac Jones. When Purdy missed time with a toe injury last season, Jones delivered five wins while posting a 97.4 quarterback rating. That led to significant league-wide interest in Jones, who is entering the final year of a two-year contract.

While San Francisco hasn't totally shut down the idea of trading Jones, it does place a high value on him.

"The 49ers were willing to trade QB Mac Jones before the draft, but no team met their reportedly steep asking price," the San Francisco Chronicle's Eric Branch wrote back in May.

According to The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt, the 49ers want t a "second-round pick plus more" for Jones.

As long as Jones is on the roster, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan probably won't be interested in a reunion with Garoppolo. While San Francisco did trade to acquire Garoppolo from the Patriots in 2017, it also traded up in the 2021 draft to try replacing him with Trey Lance.

If, however, the 49ers get an offer for Jones that they cannot refuse, bringing Garoppolo back into the fold could make a ton of sense for both parties.

A Playoff Contender That Loses its Starter to Injury

AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez

49ers QB Brock Purdy

If Garoppolo doesn't love his options for early training camp, he could benefit from playing the waiting game. Obviously, he's not going to find an opportunity to start for a Super Bowl contender now, but that could change in an instant.

Even for quarterbacks, who are more protected than any other position in football, staying healthy for a full 17-game season is difficult. And having a capable replacement is critical for a team hoping to stay in the playoff chase.

We saw both sides of the equation in 2025. The 49ers managed to navigate Purdy's toe injury last season because they went 5-3 with Jones behind center—which is precisely why Jones is an enticing trade target now.

The Cincinnati Bengals tried to stay afloat by trading for Joe Flacco, but their defense ultimately proved to be too poor for that plan to work. Cincinnati went 5-3 with Burrow and just 1-8 without him last season.

The Colts, meanwhile, pulled Philip Rivers out of retirement following Jones' season-ending injury but couldn't salvage their season. Had a signal-caller like Garoppolo been available, Indy might have eked out another win or two and made the postseason.

Obviously, there's no guarantee that a playoff contender will be involved, but it's more likely than not that at least one starter or projected starter suffers a significant injury early in the season or even before the end of training camp.

For Garoppolo, simply staying in playing shape and letting teams know that he is available is a pretty strong Plan B.