After spending a season with the Raiders, Jimmy Garoppolo is back in the NFC West on a one-year deal with the Rams.
The quarterback had an introductory video conference with Rams beat writers on Wednesday and said he’s “real excited” to play under head coach Sean McVay.
“We’ve talked a bunch after games,” Garoppolo said. “Last year when I was with the Raiders, got to practice here against the Rams. We talked after a couple of those practices. He’s always just been a very perceptive guy. He sees a lot of things, sees it very well, sees it for what it is and that’s a big part of how I got here.
“I think he had a vision, talked me through it, really just explained what he saw my role as, and just his football knowledge. I’ve heard it from so many different players and coaches, but to be here firsthand and get to experience it, that’s what I’m really excited about.”
While Garoppolo has to serve a two-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substances policy, he said he’s excited to start his new journey with L.A.
“I don’t know exactly what is in store for me, but yeah, maybe reset, reinvent, whatever you want to call it,” Garoppolo said. “I’m just excited to get back on the football field and start slinging around with some new guys. I love football. I love going out there with the guys. I love every bit of it, so I’m just excited to get back out there and start throwing again.”
Plus, he’s seen how spending time with the Rams helped out Baker Mayfield, who just signed a three-year deal with the Buccaneers.
“I mean, what Baker did, that was tremendous, incredible,” Garoppolo said. “Sean’s a phenomenal offensive mind and a lot of the guys around here are and I think that played a big part in reinventing, whatever you want to call it, a quarterback, having good people around you. It’s not all going to be done by you. You got to have the people around you to put you in a good position, call the right plays, all those little things.
“And yeah, I saw this opportunity and I got excited. It just seemed right.”