The NFL offseason has barely begun and Los Angeles Rams are already feeling a bit fatigued. A lot of the early discussion has surrounded a potential trade regarding starting quarterback Matthew Stafford, who's looking for a big-money contract that the Rams are clearly hesitant to hand out.
As much as Rams fans would love for Stafford to stick around, the NFL is a business and trades are all a part of the experience. While replacing the former Super Bowl-winning QB wouldn't be easy, Los Angeles is reportedly comfortable with a specific name potentially replacing him.
Rams Reportedly 'Comfortable' Replacing Stafford with Garoppolo
During Tuesday's episode of the "Scoop City" podcast, NFL insider Dianna Russini revealed to co-host and former QB Chase Daniel that the Rams are fine with the idea of replacing Stafford with Jimmy Garoppolo as their QB1 next season.
"Here's what I know. The Rams are comfortable with Jimmy (Garoppolo)," Russini said. "Jimmy will be a free agent. I expect them to sign him... They've seen enough from him in the offseason, in practice to feel comfortable."
The idea of Garoppolo being the Rams' starting QB in 2025 is bound to draw different reactions across the fanbase.
On one hand, few available replacement options have as much experience as Garoppolo, who's spent the last 11 years around the league. Even though the 33-year-old signal-caller spent a chunk of his career as a backup option, he's more than proven himself by recording 15,828 passing yards, 96 touchdowns, and a 97.6 passer rating while playing to a 43-21 record across 64 starts.
That's without even mentioning his playoff experience. Not only did Garoppolo lead the rival San Francisco 49ers to two NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl between 2019 and 2021, but he gained a plethora of experience winning two Lombardi Trophies with the New England Patriots playing behind Hall-of-Fame QB Tom Brady.
On the other hand, it might be hard for some fans to go from a perennial starter like Stafford to Garoppolo, who's only started in 15-plus games twice in his career. It also doesn't help that "Jimmy G" has more interceptions (10) than TD passes (9) in eight appearances across the last two seasons.
If the Rams are interested in Garoppolo potentially returning (either as a starter or backup QB), they must re-sign him this offseason. The good news is that a potential signing is more than doable given that Spotrac lists the veteran gunslinger's projected market value at $3 million annually while Los Angeles is on track to have over $39.2 million to play with.
NFL teams can negotiate with outside free agents beginning on March 10, giving the Rams less than two weeks to exclusively work out a deal with Garoppolo. If they truly are comfortable with him being their starting quarterback for at least next season, they must secure their Stafford insurance plan before it's too late.