Matthew Stafford is not participating at the Los Angeles Rams training camp right now. He is dealing with a back injury that has him in a week to week status. Therefore, Sean McVay has been training with NFL veteran Jimmy Garoppolo as the starter.

However, McVay is thrilled to have Jimmy G on the roster. “I think Jimmy Garoppolo is a starting quarterback,” McVay told reporters. “Obviously, we feel so fortunate to have somebody like Matthew leading the way, but Jimmy’s done a great job. I think he’s shown good command the first couple days. I’ve always thought he was a high-caliber player.”

After all, Garoppolo has been to a Super Bowl before and has trained with the likes of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. He knows what he is doing. McVay, who is also a very smart coach, will see how having Garoppolo as backup is a luxury.

Garoppolo has been heavily underestimated his whole career

Garoppolo came to the league with not that much hype, but when Tom Brady got injured, he got his shot. San Francisco traded for him and he had a 5-0 start to his career at The Bay. A couple of years later, he was guiding the 49ers to a Super Bowl leading the NFL in game-winning drives.

Jimmy Garoppolo #11 of the Los Angeles Rams looks on before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on November 03, 2024.

Garoppolo has a career record of 43 wins to 21 losses, a 67.4 passing completion percentage, 96 touchdowns to 52 interceptions and a Super Bowl trip. However, he’s never being widely respected as a quarterback. Whether it’s because of his good looks or the coaches he’s played for, Jimmy G has plenty of doubters.

McVay trusts him

Does Jimmy G has many doubters? Yes. McVay is not one of them, he knows Garoppolo can be useful in his scheme. McVay’s offense runs a highly quarterback-friendly playbook that Garoppolo could easily exploit. In the end, he played in the Kyle Shanahan system, which is also QB-friendly but a bit more developed than McVay’s.

The Rams still want Stafford back, of course. He is a top-tier level signal-caller and has guided this team to a Super Bowl win already. But, if he suffers any setbacks, McVay seems to think they are still in a good spot to challenge the rest of the NFL.