Rams’ Garoppolo explains reason for suspension

LOS ANGELES — After seven seasons of success and setbacks as a starting NFL quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo decided it was time to take a step back to recharge his career.

He couldn’t think of a better place to do it than with Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams.

“I’m excited to start this new journey,” Garoppolo said Tuesday after the Rams officially announced their signing of the longtime San Francisco starter. “I don’t know exactly what’s in store for me — but maybe reset, reinvent, whatever you want to call it. I’m just excited to get back on the football field.”

The 32-year-old Garoppolo also gave some insight into the reason he must sit out the first two games of the new season under suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. The quarterback said the suspension was the result of a mistake in his filing for a therapeutic use exemption for an unspecified substance.

“I just messed up the TUE, really,” Garoppolo said. “I hate to joke about it, but I messed up the TUE when I first got to Las Vegas. Bad timing, I guess.”

Garoppolo agreed to join the Rams last week, two days after Las Vegas released him. His only year with the Raiders was tumultuous and ultimately disappointing, considering Garoppolo started it with a three-year, $72.75 million contract and ended it on the bench behind a rookie.

It was a large step down from his years of success with the 49ers. When he hit free agency, Garoppolo decided he wanted to follow in the footsteps of Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield, who revitalized his career in late 2022 with a successful five-game stint under McVay.

“What Baker did, that was tremendous, incredible,” Garoppolo said. “Sean is a phenomenal offensive mind. A lot of the guys around here are. I think that played a big part. 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’ve got to have people around you to put you in a good position, call the right plays, all those little things. It’s an opportunity, and I got excited.”

After beginning his career behind Tom Brady in New England, Garoppolo has been a starting quarterback for most of the past seven seasons, not including several lengthy injury absences.

In LA, he will be the backup to Matthew Stafford, who will enter his 16th NFL season and his fourth as Los Angeles’ starter. The 36-year-old Stafford showed no signs of slowing down during a strong 2023-24 season, leading the Rams to 10 wins and a playoff berth while earning a Pro Bowl selection.

While he will miss the first two games, Garoppolo is looking forward to the offseason and the preseason as a chance to start his next chapter.