Jimmy Garoppolo

James Richard Garoppolo (born November 2, 1991), nicknamed "Jimmy G", is an American professional football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Eastern Illinois Panthers, setting school records for career passing yards and passing touchdowns and winning the Walter Payton Award as a senior. Garoppolo was selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft by the New England Patriots, where he spent his first four seasons as Tom Brady's backup and was a member of two Super Bowl-winning teams.

Traded to the San Francisco 49ers near the end of the 2017 season, Garoppolo helped revitalize a 1–10 team by winning the five remaining games that year. His most successful season was in 2019 when he guided the 49ers to the top conference seed and an appearance in Super Bowl LIV. Garoppolo also helped lead the team to an NFC Championship Game appearance in 2021. However, his San Francisco tenure was afflicted by injuries, which caused him to miss most of the 2018 and 2020 seasons. After suffering another season-ending injury in 2022, Garoppolo spent one year with the Las Vegas Raiders before joining the Rams.

Early life and family

Garoppolo was born and raised in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He is the third of four sons born to Denise (née Malec) and Tony Garoppolo Sr., a retired electrician. His older brothers are Tony Jr., an architect; Mike, a teacher; and his younger brother is Billy. Garoppolo is from a "tight-knit, big Italian family"; his paternal grandparents, Anthony and Rose Garoppolo, were both Italian immigrants, while his maternal grandparents, Theodore J. Malec and Harriet D. Seidel, were of Polish and German descent, respectively.

Garoppolo attended Rolling Meadows High School in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, where he was a quarterback and linebacker for the Mustangs football team. Garoppolo played in 19 games at quarterback during his junior and senior seasons, and passed for 3,136 yards and 25 touchdowns. In addition to football, Garoppolo was also a pitcher for Rolling Meadows, stating that "baseball was my first love when I was a little kid." A two-star recruit, he accepted an offer to play football at Eastern Illinois over offers from Illinois State and Montana State.

College career

Garoppolo played football for the Eastern Illinois Panthers from 2010 to 2013. In his first year, Garoppolo started eight games, passing for 1,639 yards and 14 touchdowns and earning All-Ohio Valley Conference Newcomer Team honors playing under head coach Bob Spoo. Garoppolo went on to start every remaining game during his time at Eastern Illinois, passing for 2,644 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2011, 3,823 yards and 31 touchdowns in 2012, and 5,050 yards and 53 touchdowns in 2013, breaking the school record for career pass completions previously held by former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.

In 2013, Garoppolo, playing his senior season in head coach Dino Babers's uptempo no-huddle offense, won the Walter Payton Award, given to the most outstanding offensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision. He was also named the 2013–14 OVC Male Athlete of the Year and the 2013 College Football Performance FCS National Quarterback of the Year.

College statistics

Professional career

Pre-draft

Represented by Don Yee, Garoppolo was considered one of the better quarterback prospects for the 2014 NFL draft.

New England Patriots

2014 season

The New England Patriots selected Garoppolo in the second round of the 2014 draft as the 62nd overall pick. He was the first player from the Football Championship Subdivision drafted in 2014, and the highest-drafted quarterback the Patriots had selected since Drew Bledsoe was picked first overall in 1993. On June 2, 2014, Garoppolo signed a four-year contract worth $3,483,898 ($1,103,744 guaranteed) with an $853,744 signing bonus.

In 2014, Garoppolo made his regular season debut in the fourth quarter of the Patriots' Week 4 41–14 road loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Garoppolo led the Patriots on a scoring drive, which led to his first career passing touchdown on a 13-yard pass to tight end Rob Gronkowski on his first drive. Garoppolo finished the game completing six of seven passes for 70 yards and the aforementioned touchdown along with a passer rating of 147.9.

In his rookie season, Garoppolo played in six games. He completed 19 of 27 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown with a 101.2 passer rating and had 10 carries for nine yards. While Garoppolo did not take any snaps in the Patriots' Super Bowl XLIX victory, he was credited with helping to prepare the Patriots' defense for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.

2015 season

In 2015, Garoppolo appeared in five games in relief roles. He completed one of four passes for six yards for a 39.6 passer rating.

2016 season

After starting quarterback Tom Brady was suspended by the league for four games for Deflategate, head coach Bill Belichick named Garoppolo the starting quarterback for the first game of the 2016 season, and he was expected to stand in for Brady for all four games.

During the narrow season-opening 23–21 road victory over the Arizona Cardinals, Garoppolo completed 24-of-33 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown. In the next game against the Miami Dolphins, he threw for 234 yards and three touchdowns before leaving the eventual 31–24 victory in the second quarter with a shoulder injury. It was later revealed that Garoppolo sprained his AC joint after a hit by Dolphins' linebacker Kiko Alonso that kept him out the next two games, giving the starting job to rookie Jacoby Brissett before Brady returned from his suspension in Week 5. In Super Bowl LI, while active for the Patriots' 34–28 comeback overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons; Garoppolo was the only Patriot who did not play in the game.

2017 season

During the offseason, Garoppolo was the subject of several trade rumors with the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns being cited most commonly as potential suitors. Ultimately, no trade occurred and Garoppolo remained with the Patriots going into the season.

San Francisco 49ers

2017 season

On October 31, 2017, the Patriots traded Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for the 49ers' second-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft.

Garoppolo made his 49ers debut on November 26 in the final minute of the 49ers' Week 12 matchup against the Seahawks, taking his first snaps of the season after starter C. J. Beathard suffered a leg and hip injury. On his first play as a 49er, Garoppolo rushed for six yards; on the final play of the game, he threw a 10-yard touchdown to Louis Murphy. He finished the 24–13 loss completing both pass attempts for 18 yards and the aforementioned touchdown.

On November 28, 2017, Garoppolo was named the starter for the 49ers' Week 13 game against the Bears. Making his first start for the 49ers on December 3, 2017, Garoppolo finished with 293 passing yards and an interception as the 49ers narrowly won on the road by a score of 15–14. In the next game against the Houston Texans, he had 334 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception during the 26–16 road victory. The following week against the Tennessee Titans, Garoppolo recorded a season-high 381 passing yards and a touchdown in a narrow 25–23 victory. During a Week 16 44–33 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had 242 passing yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and his first career rushing touchdown. In the regular season finale against the Los Angeles Rams, who were resting most defensive starters to prepare for the playoffs, Garoppolo accumulated 292 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in a 34–13 blowout 49ers' win. His victories in Weeks 13–17 gave him a 7–0 record in his first seven starts (including his two starts for New England), making Garoppolo the first quarterback to do so since Ben Roethlisberger accomplished the same feat in 2004. With Garoppolo under center, the 49ers scored on 62 percent of their offensive drives, 11 percent more than the second-place Patriots. For perspective, NFL teams scored on 35 percent of their drives in 2017, and the 49ers scored on just 29 percent of their 2017 drives without Garoppolo. Garoppolo finished the 2017 season with 1,560 passing yards for seven touchdowns and five interceptions to go along with 11 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Because Garoppolo was on the Patriots' roster for eight games before he was traded to the 49ers, an NFC team, he was eligible for payments from the league based on the Patriots' playoff performance; because the Patriots reached Super Bowl LII, Garoppolo earned $107,000.

On February 8, 2018, the 49ers and Garoppolo agreed to terms on a 5-year contract worth a maximum of $137.5 million. At the time of its signing, it was the largest contract in NFL history on an annual basis, surpassing that of Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford. It also had nearly $90 million in guarantees in the first three years, also the largest total in NFL history at the time.

On April 30, 2018, his peers voted Garoppolo as the 90th best player in the league on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.

2018 season

During a Week 3 38–27 road loss to the Chiefs, Garoppolo finished with 251 passing yards for two touchdowns before leaving the game with a left knee injury. It was later revealed that he tore his ACL, prematurely ending his season. With Garoppolo sidelined, the 49ers went on to finish with a 4–12 record.

2019 season

Garoppolo returned from his injury in time for the season-opening 31–17 road victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In that game, Garoppolo threw for 166 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. In the next game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Garoppolo threw for 297 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception during the 41–17 road victory.

On Thursday Night Football in Week 9 against the Cardinals, Garoppolo had 317 passing yards and four touchdowns as the 49ers won 28–25. In the next game against the Seahawks on Monday Night Football, he threw for 248 yards, a touchdown, and an interception as the 49ers lost 27–24 in overtime. The following week against the Arizona Cardinals, Garoppolo had 424 passing yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions as the 49ers won 36–26. During a Week 12 37–8 victory over the Green Bay Packers, he threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns. Two weeks later against the New Orleans Saints, Garoppolo had 349 passing yards, four touchdowns, and an interception during the narrow 48–46 road victory, earning him NFC Offensive Player of the Week. In the regular-season finale against the Seahawks, Garoppolo was 18-of-22 for 285 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions during the 26–21 road victory, which clinched the NFC West and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs for the 49ers. He finished the 2019 season with 3,978 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions to go along with 62 rushing yards and a touchdown. Garoppolo was the runner-up for NFL Comeback Player of the Year, finishing one vote behind Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Minnesota Vikings, Garoppolo had 131 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception during the 27–10 victory. Hampered by a knee injury, Garoppolo attempted only eight passes in the 37–20 NFC Championship victory over the Packers, the fewest in a postseason game since Bob Griese in Super Bowl VIII, completing six for 77 yards. During Super Bowl LIV against the Chiefs, Garoppolo completed 20-of-31 passes for 219 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions in the 31–20 loss. The 49ers were up by 10 points with seven minutes remaining in the game but the Chiefs later scored 21 points in five minutes to win. Garoppolo was ranked 43rd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.

2020 season

During the season-opening 24–20 loss to the Cardinals, Garoppolo threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns. In the next game against the New York Jets, Garoppolo had 131 passing yards and two touchdowns before leaving the eventual 31–13 road victory following the first half with an ankle sprain and was replaced by Nick Mullens. Garoppolo missed the next two games against the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles before returning to the starting lineup in Week 5 against the Dolphins. During the 43–17 loss, Garoppolo completed seven of 17 passes for 77 yards and two interceptions before being benched in favor of C. J. Beathard at halftime Head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game that he benched Garoppolo because he was concerned Garoppolo was not fully recovered and did not want his injury aggravated. In the next game against the Rams, Garoppolo threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns during the 24–16 victory.

During a Week 7 33–6 road victory over his former team, the Patriots, Garoppolo threw for 277 yards and two interceptions. In the next game against the Seahawks, Garoppolo completed 11 of 16 passes for only 84 yards and an interception before leaving the eventual 37–27 road loss during the fourth quarter with an ankle injury and being replaced by Mullens. The next day, it was announced that Garoppolo would be out indefinitely due to him re-aggravating his high ankle sprain. On November 5, 2020, Garoppolo was placed on injured reserve. He was designated to return from injured reserve on December 22, and began practicing with the team again, but the 49ers did not activate Garoppolo before the end of the season.

2021 season

Garoppolo was named the starter over third overall pick Trey Lance to begin the 2021 season. During the season-opening 41–33 road victory over the Lions, Garoppolo threw for 314 yards and a touchdown while losing a fumble. Two weeks later against the Packers, he threw for 254 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception while again losing a fumble in a narrow 30–28 loss. In the next game against the Seahawks, Garoppolo threw for 165 yards, a touchdown, and an interception before leaving in the second half with a calf injury. The 49ers would lose 28–21 and Garoppolo would miss the Week 5 against the Cardinals as well. During a Week 8 33–22 road victory the Bears, he had two rushing touchdowns to go along with 322 passing yards. In the regular-season finale against the Rams, Garoppolo threw for 316 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions, but helped the 49ers rally from being down 17–3 at halftime and won on the road 27–24 in overtime, sending the team to the playoffs. Garoppolo played in 15 games, missing two games due to injury, threw for 3,810 yards, 20 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and rushed for three touchdowns as the 49ers finished the regular season with a 10–7 record.

During the Wild Card Round of the playoffs against the Dallas Cowboys, Garoppolo had 172 passing yards and an interception in the 23–17 road victory. In the Divisional Round, he threw for 131 yards and an interception en route to a 13–10 upset road victory over the heavily favored Packers. During the NFC Championship against the Rams, Garoppolo had 232 passing yards and two touchdowns, but threw a costly interception to Travin Howard in the final two minutes in the 20–17 road loss.

2022 season

During training camp, former backup quarterback Trey Lance was named the starter over Garoppolo for the 2022 season. Garoppolo and the 49ers agreed to a one-year contract to keep him with the team. As part of the contract, Garoppolo had a fully guaranteed base salary of $6.5 million.

During a Week 2 27–7 victory over the Seahawks, Garoppolo came into the game in the first quarter after Lance suffered an ankle injury. Garoppolo threw for 154 yards, a touchdown, and rushed for an additional touchdown. After the game, it was revealed Lance's injury was season-ending, allowing Garoppolo to retake the starting role for the remainder of the season. In the next game against the Denver Broncos, he had 211 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception while also stepping out of the back of the end zone, committing a safety during the narrow 11–10 road loss. During a Week 7 44–23 loss to the Chiefs, Garoppolo completed 25-of-37 passes for 303 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. In the next game against the Rams, Garoppolo completed 21-of-25 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns with a 132.5 passer rating during the 31–14 road victory. During a Week 13 33–17 victory over the Dolphins, Garoppolo threw for 56 yards before injuring his foot in the first quarter and was initially expected to undergo surgery, which would prematurely end his season. However, on December 6, 2022, it was reported by ESPN that Garoppolo did not suffer a Lisfranc foot injury, and had a return timetable of 7–8 weeks. Ultimately, he did not return for the rest of the season. Without Garoppolo, the 49ers finished the season with a 13–4 record, but lost to the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game on the road 31–7 after injuries to both Brock Purdy and Josh Johnson.

Las Vegas Raiders

On March 17, 2023, Garoppolo signed a three-year, $67.5 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders. The signing reunited him with Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels, who was the offensive coordinator when Garoppolo was with the Patriots.

On October 31, 2023, Garoppolo was benched in favor of rookie Aidan O'Connell, after leading the NFL in interceptions and missing two games for a subpar 3–5 start to the year. The move came on the same day as the firing of Josh McDaniels.

On March 13, 2024, Garoppolo was released by the Raiders.

Los Angeles Rams

Garoppolo signed with the Los Angeles Rams on a one-year deal on March 19, 2024. He was suspended the first two games of the 2024 season for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy. Garoppolo did not play during the preseason and after completion of his suspension, he spent the remainder of the season as the backup to Matthew Stafford. While Garoppolo was active from Week 3 onward, he did not see the field until the regular season finale, when the Rams opted to rest Stafford and most other starters with their playoff berth secured. Garoppolo completed 27 of 41 passes for 334 yards with two touchdown passes and one interception in the Rams' 30–25 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

On March 10, 2025, Garoppolo re-signed with the Rams on a one-year deal.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

See also

* Rita Carvalho

References

External links

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Los Angeles Rams bio

Eastern Illinois Panthers bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garoppolo, Jimmy
1991 births
Living people
American football quarterbacks
American people of German descent
American people of Italian descent
American people of Polish descent
Eastern Illinois Panthers football players
Las Vegas Raiders players
Los Angeles Rams players
New England Patriots players
Players of American football from Cook County, Illinois
San Francisco 49ers players
Sportspeople from Arlington Heights, Illinois
Walter Payton Award winners