The Los Angeles Rams are fortunate to have not one, but two Super Bowl champion quarterbacks on their roster. And while only Matthew Stafford’s title came as a starter, backup Jimmy Garoppolo is one of the more accomplished players in his position.
That is good news for the Rams, since the uncertainty around Stafford is unlikely to go away.
Not when the two-time Pro Bowler is returning from a back injury that limited him in training camp and forced Garoppolo into QB1 duties in practice.
“Concerns over Matthew Stafford’s health and how long the 37-year-old can hold up aren’t going away after dealing with a back issue throughout training camp and the preseason,” Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski wrote on August 28. “Fortunately, the Rams feature a well-established backup option in Jimmy Garoppolo.”
Including Week 18 of the 2024 season with the Rams, Garoppolo, 33, is 43-21 in his career as a starter, throwing for 15,462 yards, 93 touchdowns, and 52 interceptions on 67.5% completion.
Rams Coaches Praise Jimmy Garoppolo
GettyJimmy Garoppolo #11 of the Los Angeles Rams looks on before a game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Garoppolo, who has earned $155.2 million in his career, also starred for Rams head coach Sean McVay’s former colleague, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. Garoppolo led the NFL in yards per completion and net yards per attempt under Shanahan in 2021.
He led the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2019.
McVay has the utmost confidence in Garoppolo, who signed a one-year, $3 million contract to return to the Rams in free agency, agreeing that he is the “best backup” quarterback in the NFL.
“He’s a starting quarterback. And so, what’s cool about that, though, is the respect and reverence he has for Matthew and the way that Matthew leads that room. But Jimmy has played at a really high level, and he’s going into year 12. He’s got so many things to bring to the table, and we were really fortunate that he chose to come back here, because he had a lot of other opportunities. There’s no doubt in my mind he is a starting quarterback in this league, and I think he’ll get a chance to be able to do that again,” McVay told Kay Adams on “Up & Adams” in July.
“Feel really fortunate that we can make a decision where [we say], ‘Let’s be smart with Matthew, because you have such a capable player in Jimmy that is going to allow us to continuously push the team in the direction we want. Even though we know that there’s nothing like Matthew. Having Jimmy has been a real blessing.”
Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur has also lauded Garoppolo.
Even so, the Rams are not just well off because of Stafford and Garoppolo.
Stetson Bennett Shows Encouraging Signs for Rams
GettyStetson Bennett IV #13 of the Los Angeles Rams runs the ball against the Dallas Cowboys.
The Rams used Garoppolo in Stafford’s place in practice, but 2023 fourth-round pick Stetson Bennett received the bulk of the preseason work, only ceding duties to Dresser Winn for the finale.
Bennett, a two-time national champion at Georgia, navigated personal issues and missed his rookie season, and he has yet to see the field during a regular-season contest.
But he put together an impressive 2025 exhibition, and that is good news for the Rams.
“Three quarterbacks on the Los Angeles Rams’ active roster isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity,” Sobleski wrote. “With Bennett, he played well enough during preseason to earn a roster spot and gives the Rams enough depth just in case.”
The Rams may have confidence in Garoppolo and Bennett, but turning to them before Week 18 would likely mean something significant has happened to or with Stafford.
Losing Stafford for an extended period could be extremely detrimental to the Rams.
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