{"id":870732,"date":"2026-04-20T18:04:43","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T18:04:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/870732\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T18:04:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T18:04:43","slug":"nfl-quarterback-jimmy-garoppolo-mulling-career-altering-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/870732\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo mulling career altering decision"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NFL<\/a> is quickly approaching the 2026 NFL Draft. Teams have finalized their draft boards after a busy free agency period, shaping their rosters for the season ahead.<\/p>\n

Several free agents still remain on the market, waiting to see how the draft unfolds. Among them is former NFC Champion quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who has yet to sign with a new team\u2014or return to the Los Angeles Rams.<\/p>\n

Earlier speculation linked Garoppolo to a reunion with Mike LaFleur in Arizona as a potential Cardinals quarterback. That scenario has not materialized, leaving many to question his next move.<\/p>\n

MORE: Super Bowl 2030 location \u2018signed and ready to go\u2019: report<\/a><\/p>\n

Now, a clearer picture is emerging. Recent reports<\/a> indicate that Garoppolo is considering retirement rather than returning for a 13th NFL season.<\/p>\n

\"\"Jan 4, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (11) and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) talk following a game at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

While that possibility isn\u2019t entirely surprising, Garoppolo will likely draw interest after the draft. However, teams are unlikely to offer him a starting role.<\/p>\n

Garoppolo once drew significant interest as a backup during his time with the New England Patriots. Multiple teams attempting to trade for him in 2015 and 2016.<\/p>\n

In 2017, the Patriots traded him to the San Francisco 49ers, where he helped lead the team to a Super Bowl appearance just two years later. Now, he has reached a stage in his career where teams view him as a reliable QB2 rather than a starter.<\/p>\n

MORE: Bengals OT, strength coach sent simultaneous Sexy Dexy dance memes to celebrate trade<\/a><\/p>\n

That said, circumstances can change. The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to wait on Aaron Rodgers\u2019 decision. If Rodgers chooses to walk away or retire, Garoppolo could emerge as an option.<\/p>\n

\"NaN\"Jimmy Garoppolo of the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl LIV | Tom Pennington\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Similarly, if the Cardinals decide to move on from Jacoby Brissett, Garoppolo could become a candidate there. Several potential paths remain for him to land with a team.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the key question is whether Garoppolo wants to continue his career in a backup role or step away from the game. He has spent much of his career as a highly valued backup, but many competitors recognize when it\u2019s time to move on.<\/p>\n

Garoppolo may be nearing that decision now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NFL is quickly approaching the 2026 NFL Draft. Teams have finalized their draft boards after a busy…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":870733,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2079],"tags":[7,7841,1014,58,2444,2611,6,424],"class_list":{"0":"post-870732","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles-rams","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-jimmy-garoppolo","10":"tag-los-angeles","11":"tag-los-angeles-rams","12":"tag-losangeles","13":"tag-losangelesrams","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-rams"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116438364120698068","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=870732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/870733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=870732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=870732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=870732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}