Jimmy Garoppolo Injury History & Analysis

Rams HC Sean McVay told reporters Wednesday that he'll start QB Jimmy Garoppolo and rest Matthew Stafford for Sunday's game against the Seahawks. That's the move we've been expecting, and we already had Garoppolo projected as the starter in the Week 18 QB rankings. But it's nice for the team to make it official ahead of the weekend.

The Rams have clinched the NFC West but need to beat the Seahawks on Sunday to secure the No. 3 seed. A loss would likely send them to No. 4. But HC Sean McVay strongly suggested on Monday that he'll rest starters against Seattle. "Typically, we’ve erred on the side of leaning a little bit more towards getting some rest and rejuvenation for guys because of the toll that a season takes," HC Sean McVay said. “I would imagine, as we continue to finalize our plans, that’s probably the direction that we’ll go.” McVay also said that he's "excited about watching Blake Corum get a heavy workload" and that he's excited to see rookie RB Cody Schrader play. Although he'll likely be running behind a backup offensive line against a solid Seahawks defense, Corum is shaping up as an interesting Week 18 fantasy play.

The Rams signed QB Jimmy Garoppolo to a one-year deal. He was decent for the Raiders early last season but then suffered a back injury and struggled when he returned, eventually getting benched. Garoppolo is a subpar NFL starter but a quality backup for the Rams behind 36-year-old Matt Stafford.

QB Jimmy Garoppolo has been suspended two games for violating the NFL's Performance Enhancing Substances Policy, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Garoppolo reportedly used a banned medication without having an exception from the league. He will not appeal the suspension and will miss the first two games of the 2024 campaign. Schefter also confirms that the Raiders will release Garoppolo before the fifth day of the new league year in mid-March, saving the team an $11.25 million roster bonus. Garoppolo will be able to participate in the offseason program and training camp with his new team, despite the suspension. The Raiders, meanwhile, will be left with QBs Aidan O'Connell and Brian Hoyer. They'll certainly add to that group in free agency and/or the draft.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal's Vincent Bonsignore tweets that the Raiders are "leaning toward" starting QB Aidan O'Connell vs. the Giants this weekend. QB Jimmy Garoppolo was a disaster in Monday night's loss to the Lions, throwing for just 126 yards, 0 TDs, and one INT on 21 attempts. O'Connell wasn't great in his Week 4 start vs. the Chargers, averaging 6.1 yards per pass attempt with 0 TDs and one INT. But the 3-5 Raiders under interim HC Antonio Pierce are looking beyond 2023 at this point. We'll look for further updates on the Raiders' QB plans. We certainly wouldn't consider O'Connell an upgrade for Raiders pass catchers.

Update: NFL Network reports the Raiders are expected to start O'Connell "this week and going forward." We'll see how this trial goes.