Jimmy Garoppolo is heading to LA to join the Los Angeles Rams, and while it’s definitely an intriguing move for the franchise since they get another starting-quality quarterback, fans couldn’t help but have mixed feelings about the deal.
The 32-year-old Garoppolo is joining the Rams on a one-year contract after his disappointing and injury-riddled stint with the Las Vegas Raiders. He’s now going to serve as Stafford’s backup in LA, where he can also serve as some sort of insurance in case Stafford struggles with injuries as well.
Garoppolo does seem to be a good fit for the Rams, especially since he is really familiar with the NFC West. After all, he spent six seasons in the division while playing for the San Francisco 49ers from 2017 to 2022. He has a 14-7 regular season record against NFC West teams and is actually 8-0 against Los Angeles.
Not All Rams Fans Are Happy With Jimmy Garoppolo Move
Despite the seemingly great fit, however, Rams fans had mixed reactions to Garoppolo’s signing. Not everyone is convinced he’s the right backup for the team, though some did express their excitement about Garoppolo joining the LA franchise.
“Nice landing spot for Jimmy G … Great coach and QB1, well run team … Congrats, Jimmy!!” a fan wrote on Mike Garafolo’s post on X.
“Honestly love the move. Need a quality backup. Hopefully we don’t need him, but after living thru [Brett] Rypien and a few others, not mad at all,” another one shared.
A third supporter added, [Jimmy Garoppolo] is good option. If their QB gets hurt, they got Jimmy ready to go.”
As mentioned, not everyone is a fan of the move. Members of other fanbases couldn’t even help but celebrate that they didn’t end up with the veteran quarterback.
“Might as well have no backup QB lol,” a critic wrote, while another one said, “He’s mid.”
“Thank God, afraid the Steelers were going to sign him,” a Pittsburgh fan added.
“I swear I’m two seconds away from driving off a bridge,” a frustrated supporter added.
Considering Garoppolo’s injury history, however, it’s not a surprise why fans are concerned about the signing. After all, Garoppolo might end up not being an impactful player at all. There’s a reason the Raiders released Jimmy G. despite signing him to a three-year, $72.75 million contract last year.
Jimmy Garoppolo’s suspension, recent health struggles
There’s definitely reason to be worried about Garoppolo joining the Rams. In 2023, he played just seven games due to various health issues.
Before he was able to join the Raiders, he underwent surgery on his left foot and had to pass a physical in order to make his contract official. Throughout the campaign, he dealt with concussion and back injuries, leading him to just tally 1,205 passing yards and seven touchdowns with nine interceptions.
Making things even worse, Garoppolo is actually suspended for the first two games of the 2024 season due to a violation of the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. With that being said, the Rams won’t be able to ask for his help to start the campaign.
It remains to be seen how Garoppolo’s run with the Rams will go. But until he proves that can still deliver at the highest level and get some wins, the LA fanbase will naturally have some doubts about him. Sure enough, the fans are hoping that the critics are wrong about him.
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