WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Rams head coach Sean McVay on Tuesday said the team has known backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is considering retirement – "that's not necessarily new news to us," McVay said – but are not rushing the veteran passer to make a decision.
"We've had good dialogue (with Garoppolo and his representatives)," McVay said in a joint video conference with reporters alongside general manager Les Snead. "No timeline. Wanted to be able to give him his time. He knows that he's a really important part of what we want to do and part of those plans, and hopeful that the contemplation is that, and that when the time is right, he'll change his mind."
Garoppolo, 34, remains unsigned since becoming an unrestricted free agent at the start of the new league year on March 11.
McVay at the annual league meeting on March 30 said the team was hopeful for a reunion with Garoppolo, but also was interested in potentially signing Kirk Cousins to fill the backup role just in case; Cousins signed with the Raiders a little over one week later on April 6.
With that route no longer viable, it brings the backup role into question heading into this week's draft, which begins at 5 p.m. pacific time Thursday.
"I think we're definitely monitoring," Snead said, when asked if backup quarterback is a position they expect to fill in the draft or via signing a veteran player. "Jimmy's always been priority number one for the backup, so we're letting him go through his process."
Former fourth-round pick Stetson Bennett IV, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract, is a potential candidate to fill the QB2 role, according to McVay.
"I think Stetson is considered a backup," McVay said, when asked Tuesday if that uncertainty at that spot add any urgency or focus to potentially looking at the quarterbacks or taking one in this year's draft, or whether they would be comfortable getting to Saturday night and still needing one. "We drafted him a handful of years ago. We've just been really fortunate, and you guys know, I think Stetson has gotten better and better. I think (quarterbacks coach/associate coordinator) Dave Ragone's done a great job with him. Certainly, you monitor all of those things. The thing I think we felt really fortunate about, specifically as it relates to Jimmy, I've always told you guys, Jimmy's a starting quarterback, and so that didn't go lost on us how much value he provided in Matthew's absence, because you didn't necessarily feel like 'hey, nothing's like Matthew,' but you didn't feel like our defense or the other 10 guys on offense fell off to much relative to what the level of performance or level of operation is.
"(I) think Stetson is capable of that, he showed that last training camp and in the preseason. But all of those things are things that we monitor, and you do feel good about that. But Stetson was the backup the first couple of games Jimmy's first year with us, because he was not available, and so that wouldn't be something that we'd be afraid of."
McVay again emphasized they won't rush Garoppolo into a decision.
"You leave the door open. I don't think you want to press," McVay said. "What you don't want to do is ever force a guy to play if, in his mind, he's ready to move on. But you don't want to minimize that, hey, if you do decide to play, let's make sure it's here with us. Have two years of a good relationship, and so this isn't necessarily new news to us, but it is something that we want to be able to give him his time, and he knows where we stand."
