Jimmy G proclaims he can ‘be himself’ on the Rams, unlike previous teams Originally appeared in NBC Bay Area Sports
Former 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is enjoying his new stage with the Los Angeles Rams.
The 10-year NFL veteran feels more comfortable than ever with a franchise he views as more empowering than most.
In an exclusive interview with Jeff Howe of The Athletic Posted Monday, Garoppolo explained what stands out about wearing the Los Angeles jersey compared to his stints with the New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders and San Francisco.
“This place also allows you to be yourself, which is different than other places I’ve been,” Garoppolo told Howe. “They push you with a sense of urgency, but in a good way. Obviously, everyone wants to win. Everyone wants to perform well. They do it the right way here.
“They push you to be positive. There are a lot of good things going on, man. I’m enjoying every moment. Even the meetings are a good time. Everything is going well right now.”
While he never mentions any specific team, Garoppolo mentions the Patriots, 49ers and Raiders as organizations that kept him from reaching his potential.
However, the 32-year-old has failed to prove to be the star player he was supposed to be after spending three and a half seasons as Tom Brady’s backup, despite earning $148.7 million over his NFL career.
In March, the The Raiders released Garoppolo after he was suspended for the first two games of the 2024 NFL season due to a PED violation. He signed a one-year contract with the Rams Days later.
Anyone who followed Vegas last season or star receiver DaVante Adams on the Netflix series “Quarterback” knows Garoppolo wasn’t in the Raiders’ future, anyway.
And as the faithful know, Garoppolo couldn’t get over the championship hump in five and a half years with San Francisco. Instead, he’ll be remembered for nearly earning a spot among 49ers greats like Joe Montana and Steve Young after falling just short of Super Bowl LIV.
Now the backup to Matthew Stafford, back in his first role in the league, Garoppolo feels secure in Los Angeles and believes he needed to feel that way more than ever after having lived through an up-and-down experience in the NFL.
“It was chaotic at times, but they’re all learning experiences,” Garoppolo told Howe. “That’s one thing I learned from this. The NFL is crazy, man. Everybody has a story. Everybody’s going in the same direction to try to make it. But at the end of the day, it’s your story and you gotta make the most of it.”
“Good, bad or indifferent, whatever happened in the past, happened… Now I am here and I am just trying to make every day the best day.”
