Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo last started an NFL game in October 2023.
On Sunday, the 11th-year pro will start in place of Matthew Stafford for the playoff-bound Rams in the season finale against the Seattle Seahawks at SoFi Stadium, coach Sean McVay said Wednesday.
The Rams last weekend clinched the NFC West title and the NFL’s strength-of-victory tiebreaker, so they will be either the No. 3 seed or No. 4 seed in the NFC playoffs. That was enough to convince McVay to rest Stafford against the Seahawks, and keep the 16th-year pro out of harm’s way.
“It’s a great opportunity for Jimmy to be able to play,” McVay said. “I also think it’s an awesome opportunity for Matthew to be able to get rest and rejuvenated and ready to roll for the playoffs.”
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Garoppolo is looking forward to his opportunity.
“It’s been a long time coming,” he said after a walkthrough.
Stetson Bennett will be Garoppolo’s backup, McVay said, so Stafford will be inactive.
Right tackle Rob Havenstein also will be held out for a second consecutive game because of a shoulder injury. But McVay said he has not determined if other starters will sit out.
However, it seems likely that running back Kyren Williams and receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp will be among others who will not play.
The Rams are currently the No. 3 seed, putting them on track for a wild-card matchup at SoFi Stadium against the Washington Commanders or Green Bay Packers. But a loss to the Seahawks, and a victory by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday would move the Buccaneers into the No. 3 slot and drop the Rams to No. 4, pitting them against the Detroit Lions or Minnesota Vikings at SoFi Stadium.
McVay said seeding scenarios would influence his decision about how to approach a finale only if an opportunity to secure a bye was at stake. In 2018, McVay played starters in the final game against the 49ers and the Rams earned the No. 2 seed, which at the time netted a bye.
“Ultimately, if you said, ‘Does the three or four seed really matter?’ It doesn’t,” McVay said of his team’s current situation, “because you know you’re going to play an excellent team whoever ends up as the five, six or seven.”
Garoppolo, 33, signed with the Rams in March. He is playing on a one-year, $3.2-million contract, according to Overthecap.com.
Garoppolo has served mainly as the scout team quarterback, giving the defense an opportunity to prepare against a quarterback who has 94 career touchdown passes.
“What I’ve seen is just a guy who’s approached it like a pro,” McVay said, adding, “He’s really been a big part of the growth you’ve seen from our defense.”
Stafford, 36, has played every snap for a Rams team that started 1-4 but has won nine of its last 11 games.
Stafford, who is 191 yards shy of reaching 60,000 career yards passing, has two years remaining on a contract that was revised before this season, advancing $5 million forward from 2025, according to overthecap.com
Does McVay regard Garoppolo’s start as an audition if Stafford was not back with the Rams next season?
“No,” McVay said. “I look at it as a great opportunity for Jimmy.”
So does Garoppolo, who has a 43-20 record in games he started during three seasons with the New England Patriots, six with the San Francisco 49ers and one with the Las Vegas Raiders.
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“Anytime you get on the grass in live action that’s your resume — that’s the life we live,” Garoppolo said. “What you do out there, everyone sees around the league. They’re going to break that tape down good, bad, indifferent.
“That’s how I always approached it. It will be no different this week.”
Garoppolo last started 15 months ago for the Raiders in a 26-14 defeat by the Lions. He completed 10 of 21 passes for 126 yards, with an interception.
Last season, with a playoff spot wrapped up going into the final game, McVay sat Stafford and started Carson Wentz, who led the Rams to a victory over the 49ers.
McVay ceded play-calling to offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur in that game, and he probably will do the same on Sunday. LaFleur was a member of the 49ers staff when Garoppolo was traded to the 49ers in 2017.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
