Rams' Jimmy Garoppolo hopes to follow in footsteps of Baker Mayfield

New Los Angeles Rams backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo hopes to follow a similar path to Baker Mayfield, who saw a rejuvenation in his career after joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

The 32-year-old believes head coach Sean McVay is one of the best to help him accomplish that.

"Sean's a phenomenal offensive mind, and a lot of the guys around here are, and I think that plays a big part in reinventing, whatever you want to call it, a quarterback, having good people around you," Garoppolo said on Tuesday about signing a one-year deal with the Rams this offseason, per Kevin Patra of the NFL's website. "It's not all going to be done by you. You got to have the people around you to put you in a good position, call the right plays, all those little things. And yeah, I saw this opportunity and I got excited. It just seemed right."

Both the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers gave up on Mayfield in 2022 before he made four starts for the Rams late into that season. Mayfield's play under McVay helped him land a one-year "prove it" contract from the Buccaneers last March, and he recently received a new three-year deal that reportedly has a maximum value of $115M after he guided Tampa Bay to a division title and a home playoff win. 

Liam Coen served as Mayfield's offensive coordinator with the Rams and is now the signal-caller's OC in Tampa Bay. 

"What Baker did, that was tremendous, incredible," Garoppolo added about how the first pick of the 2018 NFL Draft jumpstarted his career via his stint in Los Angeles, according to Sarah Barshop of ESPN. 

Of course, the two situations aren't identical. Mayfield joined the Rams in December 2022 when starter Matthew Stafford was injured, but Stafford is cemented atop the club's depth chart this spring. Additionally, Garoppolo received a two-game suspension for a violation of the NFL's performance-enhancing substances policy this past winter after he allegedly annoyed individuals within the Las Vegas Raiders "for being aloof" and difficult to get ahold of after he signed with that club last offseason. He officially lost the Las Vegas starting job to 2023 fourth-round draft selection Aidan O'Connell in November. 

Garoppolo is eligible to participate in the Rams' offseason program through the preseason. He'll likely need Stafford to be sidelined with an injury past Week 2 of the 2024 campaign to have any real chance to mirror what Mayfield accomplished with McVay less than two full years ago.