James Garoppolo (born November 2, 1991) is an American professional football quarterback. Nicknamed "Jimmy G", he played college football for the Eastern Illinois Panthers, winning the Walter Payton Award in 2013 and setting school records for career passing yards and passing touchdowns. Garoppolo was selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft by the New England Patriots, where he spent his first four seasons as Tom Brady's backup and was a member of two Super Bowl-winning teams.
Traded to the San Francisco 49ers near the end of the 2017 season, Garoppolo helped revitalize a 1–10 team by winning the last five games of the year. His most successful year was in 2019 when he guided the 49ers to their conference's top seed and an appearance in Super Bowl LIV. Garoppolo also helped lead them to an NFC Championship Game appearance in the 2021 season. However, his San Francisco tenure was afflicted by injuries, which caused him to miss most of the 2018 and 2020 seasons. After suffering another season-ending injury in 2022, Garoppolo spent the following year with the Las Vegas Raiders and his next two as a backup with the Los Angeles Rams.
Early life and family Garoppolo was born and raised in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He is the third of four sons born to Denise (née Malec) and Tony Garoppolo Sr., a retired electrician. His older brothers are Tony Jr., an architect; Mike, a teacher; and his younger brother is Billy. Garoppolo is from a "tight-knit, big Italian family"; his paternal grandparents, Anthony and Rose Garoppolo, were both Italian immigrants, while his maternal grandparents, Theodore J. Malec and Harriet D. Seidel, were of Polish and German descent, respectively.
Garoppolo attended Rolling Meadows High School in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, where he was a quarterback and linebacker for the Mustangs football team. Garoppolo played in 19 games at quarterback during his junior and senior seasons, and passed for 3,136 yards and 25 touchdowns. As a teenager, Garoppolo was an acquaintance of future right-wing political activist and media personality Charlie Kirk, who was two years younger than Garoppolo and a quarterback at a nearby Wheeling High School, and both took part in the former NFL quarterback Jeff Christensen quarterback and wide receiver training program called Throw It Deep, with a clip of Garoppolo and Kirk throwing footballs side by side later went viral online in 2026. In addition to football, Garoppolo was also a pitcher for Rolling Meadows, stating: "Baseball was my first love when I was a little kid." A two-star recruit, he accepted an offer to play football at Eastern Illinois over offers from Illinois State and Montana State.
College career Garoppolo played football for the Eastern Illinois Panthers from 2010 to 2013. As a freshman, he started eight games, passing for 1,639 yards and 14 touchdowns and earning All-Ohio Valley Conference Newcomer Team honors playing under head coach Bob Spoo. Garoppolo went on to start every remaining game during his time at Eastern Illinois, passing for 2,644 yards and 20 touchdowns as a sophomore, 3,823 yards and 31 touchdowns as a junior, and 5,050 yards and 53 touchdowns as a senior, breaking the school record for career pass completions previously held by former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.
In 2013, Garoppolo, playing his senior season in head coach Dino Babers's up-tempo no-huddle offense, won the Walter Payton Award, given to the most outstanding offensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision. He was also named the 2013–14 OVC Male Athlete of the Year and the 2013 College Football Performance FCS National Quarterback of the Year.
Professional career
Pre-draft
Represented by Don Yee, Garoppolo was considered one of the better quarterback prospects for the 2014 NFL draft.
New England Patriots 2014 season
The New England Patriots selected Garoppolo in the second round (62nd overall) of the draft. He was the first player from the Football Championship Subdivision drafted in 2014, and the highest-drafted quarterback the Patriots had selected since Drew Bledsoe was picked first overall in 1993. On June 2, 2014, Garoppolo signed a four-year, $3,483,898 contract with $1,103,744 guaranteed and an $853,744 signing bonus.
During Week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Garoppolo made his NFL debut in the fourth quarter of the 41–14 road loss. Garoppolo led the Patriots on a scoring drive, which led to his first NFL touchdown on a 13-yard pass to tight end Rob Gronkowski on his first drive. Garoppolo finished the game completing six of seven passes for 70 yards and the aforementioned touchdown, posting a passer rating of 147.9.
As a rookie, Garoppolo played in six games. He completed 19 of 27 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown with a 101.2 passer rating and had 10 carries for nine yards. While Garoppolo did not take any snaps in the Patriots' Super Bowl XLIX victory, he was credited with helping to prepare the Patriots' defense for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
2015 season
In 2015, Garoppolo appeared in five games in relief roles. He completed one of four passes for six yards and a 39.6 passer rating.
2016 season
After starting quarterback Tom Brady was suspended by the league for four games for Deflategate, head coach Bill Belichick named Garoppolo the starting quarterback for the 2016 season, and he was expected to stand in for Brady for all four games.
During the narrow season-opening 23–21 road victory over the Arizona Cardinals, Garoppolo completed 24-of-33 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown. In the next game against the Miami Dolphins, he threw for 234 yards and three touchdowns before leaving the eventual 31–24 victory during the second quarter with a shoulder injury. It was later revealed that Garoppolo sprained his AC joint after a hit by Dolphins' linebacker Kiko Alonso that kept him out the next two games, giving the starting job to rookie Jacoby Brissett before Brady returned from suspension in Week 5. During Super Bowl LI, while active for the Patriots' 34–28 comeback overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons, Garoppolo once again did not take any snaps (as in Super Bowl XLIX).
2017 season
During the offseason, Garoppolo was the subject of several trade rumors with the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns being cited most commonly as potential suitors. However, no trade occurred and Garoppolo remained with the Patriots going into the 2017 season.
San Francisco 49ers 2017 season
On October 31, 2017, the Patriots traded Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for the 49ers' second-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft.
Garoppolo made his 49ers debut in the final minute of the Week 12 matchup against the Seahawks, taking his first snaps of the season after starter C. J. Beathard suffered a leg and hip injury. On his first play as a 49er, Garoppolo rushed for six yards, and on the final play of the game, he threw a 10-yard touchdown to Louis Murphy. Garoppolo finished the 24–13 loss completing both of his passes for 18 yards and the aforementioned touchdown.
On November 28, 2017, Garoppolo was named the starter for the Week 13 matchup against the Chicago Bears. Making his first start for the 49ers, Garoppolo finished the narrow 15–14 victory with 293 passing yards and an interception. In the next game against the Houston Texans, he threw for 334 yards, a touchdown, and an interception during the 26–16 road victory. The following week against the Tennessee Titans, Garoppolo recorded a season-high 381 passing yards and a touchdown in the narrow 25–23 victory.
During a Week 16 44–33 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Garoppolo had 242 passing yards, two touchdowns, an interception, and his first career rushing touchdown. In the regular season finale against the Los Angeles Rams, who were resting most defensive starters to prepare for the playoffs, Garoppolo threw for 292 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions during the 34–13 road victory. His victories in Weeks 13–17 gave him a 7–0 record in his first seven starts (including his two starts for New England), making Garoppolo the first quarterback to do so since Ben Roethlisberger accomplished the same feat in 2004. With Garoppolo under center, the 49ers scored on 62 percent of their offensive drives, 11 percent more than the second-place Patriots. For perspective, NFL teams scored on 35 percent of their drives in 2017, and the 49ers scored on just 29 percent of their 2017 drives without Garoppolo. Garoppolo finished the 2017 season with 1,560 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and five interceptions to go along with 11 rushing yards and a touchdown in six games and five starts.
Because Garoppolo was on the Patriots' roster for eight games before he was traded to the 49ers, an NFC team, he was eligible for payments from the league based on the Patriots' playoff performance; because the Patriots reached Super Bowl LII, Garoppolo earned $107,000. He was ranked 90th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.
2018 season
On February 8, 2018, the 49ers and Garoppolo agreed to terms on a five-year contract worth a maximum of $137.5 million. It was the largest contract in NFL history on an annual basis at the time and had nearly $90 million in guarantees in the first three years, also the largest total in NFL history at the time.
During the season-opener against the Minnesota Vikings, Garoppolo struggled, throwing for 261 yards, a touchdown, and three interceptions in the 24–16 road loss. In the next game against the Detroit Lions, he completed 18-of-26 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns during the 30–27 victory. The following week against the Chiefs, Garoppolo had 251 passing yards and two touchdowns to go along with 23 rushing yards before leaving the eventual 38–27 road loss in the fourth quarter with a left knee injury. It was later revealed that he tore his ACL, prematurely ending his season. With Garoppolo sidelined, the 49ers went on to finish with a 4–12 record.
2019 season
Garoppolo returned from his injury in time for the season-opening 31–17 road victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and threw for 166 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. In the next game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Garoppolo had 297 passing yards, three touchdowns, and an interception during the 41–17 road victory. The following week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he completed 23-of-32 passes for 277 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions in the 24–20 victory.
Following a Week 4 bye, the 49ers faced the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football. Garoppolo finished the 31–3 blowout victory with 181 passing yards and two touchdowns. In the next game against the Rams, he recorded 243 passing yards and an interception to go along with a rushing touchdown during the 20–7 road victory. Two weeks later against the Carolina Panthers, Garoppolo completed 18-of-22 passes for 175 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in the 51–13 victory.
During Week 9 against the Cardinals on Thursday Night Football, Garoppolo completed 28-of-37 passes for 317 yards and four touchdowns in the 28–25 road victory. In the next game against the Seahawks on Monday Night Football, he threw for 248 yards, a touchdown, and an interception during the 27–24 overtime loss. The following week against the Cardinals, Garoppolo completed 34-of-45 passes for a season-high 424 passing yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions in the 36–26 victory.
During a Week 12 37–8 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football, Garoppolo recorded 253 passing yards and two touchdowns. In the next game against the Baltimore Ravens, he threw for 165 yards and a touchdown during the 20–17 road loss. The following week against the New Orleans Saints, Garoppolo completed 26-of-35 passes for 349 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception during the narrow 48–46 road victory, earning him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.