After clinching the NFC West through the strength of victory tiebreaker last Sunday night, the Rams will do what they’ve traditionally done under head coach Sean McVay and rest starters in the final week of the season.
That means Jimmy Garoppolo will start at quarterback for Los Angeles when the team plays Seattle this weekend.
Garoppolo, 33, has not appeared in a game this season for the Rams after signing with the club in the offseason. Being a backup for the entire year has been a change for the veteran, who spent 2017-2022 with the 49ers and then began last season as the Raiders starter.
Garoppolo told reporters on Wednesday that getting back on the field has “been a long time coming.”
“I kind of had a feeling as I was watching the games this past Sunday, but it’s exciting,” Garoppolo said in his press conference. “It’s about time, just get out there with the guys and get some real football in.”
Having been in a few different places, Garoppolo said he’s been impressed with the way the Rams run things from McVay on down in 2024.
“It’s impressive, honestly. It’s a very tight-run outfit, just how they do everything,” Garoppolo said. “Little details aren’t overlooked. That’s something that I really was impressed by early on and it’s carried out this whole season. I think that’s how you get to a place like this though, when you’re allotted this in the last week of the season to play some other guys and it’s good for us.
“Sean does a really good job of explaining it in detail, too. He’ll take the time to slow things down. If you don’t understand it, he’ll explain it to you in a way that you do which as a teacher, that’s really impressive. I haven’t had many coaches that do that. To take the time to do little things like that, I’m really grateful for. It’s just a lot of good people, man. That’s what makes this thing go, is a lot of good people in the right positions.”
In a sense, Sunday will represent an audition for Garoppolo, as he’s slated to become a free agent again in March when his one-year deal expires.
“Anytime you get on the grass in live action, that’s your resume. That’s the life we live,” Garoppolo said. “It’s just what you do out there, everyone sees it around the league. They’re going to break that tape down, good, bad, or indifferent. They don’t really care who’s playing, what week it is or whatever it is. That’s your resume. That’s how I’ve always approached it. It’ll be no different this week.”
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