Is this the end of the line for Rams QB Jimmy Garoppolo?

It wasn’t that long ago that Jimmy Garoppolo was picked as the heir apparent to Tom Brady in New England. Head coach Bill Belichick selected Garoppolo in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft with thoughts of him eventually stepping in for Brady.

That sounds crazy today, but 10 years ago that was the sentiment in New England. Or at least that was Belichick’s thought process. Brady was 37 years old and as great as he’d been, the Patriots had not won a Super Bowl since the 2004-05 campaign when they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX.

Belichick was preparing for a future without Brady long before it actually came to fruition. Coach Belichick handpicked Jimmy G and when he did have a chance to play, Garoppolo didn’t disappoint.

However, by the time the 2017 season rolled around (Garoppolo’s fourth year), Brady had managed to win the power struggle with Belichick, and Garoppolo was traded to San Francisco in October of that year.

Garoppolo experienced his greatest success as 49ers quarterback peaking during the 2019-20 campaign where the team won 13 games and the NFC Championship. But the loss in Super Bowl LIV to the Kansas City Chiefs is where many think the Garoppolo train began to go off the rails.

Up 20-10 heading into the fourth quarter of that Super Bowl,  the Niners had more than one chance to put the Chiefs away, but Garoppolo could not connect with his receivers. The play everyone remembers came late in the fourth quarter when Garoppolo overthrew Emmanuel Sanders deep as he’d separated from two Chiefs defenders.

Kansas City had already come back to take the lead, 24-20, but had Garoppolo been able to connect with Sanders on that pass his legacy could be completely different.

"That right there could have been a legendary moment for me and Jimmy, but unfortunately it didn't happen. Instead of walking into airports and stores and people saying, 'Great catch, man. You're a legend.' Now they say, 'Aw man, you were this close.' Hopefully I don't go down as 'this close,' and hopefully, we can change that this year. That's a play that will forever be in my mind,” Sanders said about Garoppolo’s overthrow in Super Bowl LIV.

Since that game Garoppolo’s accuracy and durability issues have come to define his career in the eyes of most. He played most of the time he was on the field for San Francisco although he continuously struggled to hit targets downfield.

Not being able to consistently complete deep throws coupled with being frequently sidelined by injuries is a horrible combination. Once Brock Purdy stepped in (while Garoppolo was injured) and played well, Jimmy G’s fate was sealed.

Last season Garoppolo started six games for the Las Vegas Raiders and that was obviously enough for them as he signed with the Los Angeles Rams this offseason as a backup. It seems like the writing is on the wall as the one-time heir to the throne in New England turns 33 in November.

Year 11 in the NFL for Garoppolo will begin with a two-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. It’s doubtful Garoppolo will touch the field much for LA as long as Matthew Stafford is healthy, but nobody wants that blemish on their resume.

A once promising career is now likely to be remembered as what could’ve been.