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Jimmy Garoppolo #11 of the Los Angeles Rams warms up before a game against the Tennessee Titans.

The Los Angeles Rams received an unfortunate update on backup quarterback and two-time Super Bowl champion Jimmy Garoppolo, but head coach Sean McVay is not ready to fold just yet, despite what he has said about the situation.

The Rams, of course, are working on an extension for quarterback Matthew Stafford.

However, the Rams’ plan behind Stafford is still taking shape with the 2026 draft offering an opportunity to find an heir apparent.

Rams Keeping ‘Door Open’ for Jimmy Garoppolo

McVay followed Rams general manager Les Snead in conducting pre-draft media availability, where he faced a question about Garoppolo, who remains a free agent.

The Rams only have untested former draft pick Stetson Bennett IV behind Stafford.

“You leave the door open,” McVay said, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport in a post on X on April 21. “You don’t want to press. We want to be able to give him his time, and he knows where we stand.”

McVay’s remarks come in the wake of news that Garoppolo’s decision is not just between the Rams and another organization.

“#Rams free agent QB Jimmy Garoppolo, considered their top option as backup QB, is considering retirement, sources say,” Rapoport reported on X on April 20. “Jimmy G, who has started 64 games during a 12-year career, has made over $156M in all. He is 34 and is mulling a final decision.”

McVay previously said he would love to have Garoppolo back, but that it was as unlikely.

“At this point, when there hasn’t been a decision, it feels less likely than likely,” McVay told reporters in March, per the LA Times’ Gary Klein reported on X. “But I don’t want to rule that out.”

The Rams were also interested in Kirk Cousins at the time, while Garoppolo had been linked to the Arizona Cardinals.

Neither situation panned out, but the Rams are the ones facing a risky situation.

They are a team with Super Bowl aspirations and an aging starting quarterback who dealt with a back injury in training camp and the preseason in 2025. Garoppolo’s familiarity with the Rams’ offense as Stafford’s backup for the past two seasons is an advantage over other options.

Rams Actions Speak Volumes About Stetson Bennett IV

Stafford played in all 17 games (and all three postseason games) for the Rams last season, leaving little for Garoppolo and even less for Bennett.

The 128th overall pick of the 2023 draft, Bennett missed his rookie season for a confluence of reasons. He has yet to take a snap during a regular-season game, is in the final year of his contract, and turns 29 in October.

That the Rams are showing interest in QBs–both veteran and in the draft–speaks volumes.

Bennett was a two-time national champion in college at Georgia, guiding the Bulldogs to back-to-back titles.

He is also undersized and lacks the kind of mobility that quarterbacks of similar stature–such as Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson–have utilized to overcome physical limitations in terms of height and arm strength (though both Murray and Wilson have plus-arms).