Packers QB plans take a hit as latest NFL update involving veteran option they like creates unexpected complication
Jimmy Garoppolo was a potential alternative for the Packers behind Jordan Love, but the veteran quarterback is considering retirement after 12 seasons in the NFL.
The Green Bay Packers are running out of options to add a veteran backup quarterback. The last one who would likely be an improvement over Desmond Ridder and is still out there could choose another path. According to Ian Rapoport, Jimmy Garoppolo is considering retirement.
Back in March, ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler reported that being a backup QB in Green Bay was an option for Garoppolo, who was also a possibility to stay with the Los Angeles Rams.
The veteran is 34 and has appeared in four games over the past two years for the Rams — but he only threw passes in one start in 2024.
Packers’ backup QB situation
The Packers had a comfortable situation behind Jordan Love over the past two years after trading for Malik Willis with the Tennessee Titans. Acquired for a seventh-round pick, Willis became one of the best backup quarterbacks in football. However, this offseason he signed a three-year, $67.5 million with the Miami Dolphins.
The front office started the work to replace him last season, adding Desmond Ridder to the practice squad, then promoting him to the active roster with a contract through 2026 before the end of the season. Formerly a third-round pick, Ridder had extensive starting experience with the Atlanta Falcons.
After the season ended, the Packers also signed former Philadelphia Eagles sixth-round pick Kyle McCord, who spent his rookie year on the practice squad in Philly.
General manager Brian Gutekunst has studied quarterback prospects in the draft as well. Texas Tech’s Behren Morton had a top-30 visit in Green Bay, and the scouting department also talked to Kansas’ Jalon Daniels at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Jimmy Garoppolo’s career
A second-round pick in 2014, Jimmy Garoppolo was initially drafted to eventually become Tom Brady’s successor on the New England Patriots — but Brady’s longevity changed the plans. Garoppolo was on the roster during two Super Bowl title runs and started two games during Brady’s suspension in 2016.
During the 2017 season, Garoppolo was traded to the San Francisco 49ers for a second-round pick. He started the following five seasons in San Francisco under Kyle Shanahan, reaching a Super Bowl and another NFC Championship Game as a starter.
He moved on to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023, where he started just six games, and spent the past two seasons as Matthew Stafford’s backup in Los Angeles.
His experience playing for Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay is what entices the Packers to sign him as a backup, and his knowledge of Matt LaFleur’s system would be helpful. But it sounds like Garoppolo has different plans.