The legal tampering period officially opened at noon ET on Monday, and the Los Angeles Rams wasted no time addressing their backup quarterback situation.
Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reported that the Rams re-signed veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a one-year deal. According to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Garoppolo’s new deal includes $4.5 million guaranteed and $9M incentives, bringing it to a max value of $13.505M.
The veteran quarterback did not play at all last season until the regular season finale against the Seattle Seahawks. In that Week 18 matchup, he completed 27 of 41 passes for 334 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.
With Garoppolo back in the fold for another season, it’s not looking good for Stetson Bennett, the Rams’ fourth-round pick in 2023.
After being on the reserve/NFI list for the entire rookie season in 2023, the Rams were excited to see Bennett getting live game reps during the preseason last summer. For Bennett, it was a chance to show the Rams that he could be the starting QB of the future or at least the backup behind Matthew Stafford.
Neither happened as the former Georgia Bulldog standout struggled for the second-straight preseason. Bennett completed 59.4 percent of his passes for 437 yards, two touchdowns, and five interceptions.
Most of Bennett’s interceptions happened in Los Angeles’ preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys. The former fourth-round pick completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 224 yards, a touchdown, and four interceptions.
The Rams hope another offseason plus training camp/preseason will help Bennett take that next step as a quarterback. Bennett might be the Rams' backup QB in 2026 if there’s growth and improvement.
However, that’s a big IF Bennett must answer, as the Rams could find another QB3 to develop over the next couple of years. He won't get many more chances heading into Year 3.