NFC West backup QB rankings: Jimmy Garoppolo is No. 1 again
It is the time of the offseason, as we have done for years here on Cards Wire, where we go through each position and rank players and position groups in the NFC West. We continue by looking at the backup quarterbacks for the Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.
This year, only the Rams have the same backup. The Cardinals signed Jacoby Brissett, the 49ers added Mac Jones and the Seahawks brought back Drew Lock after he spent a year with the Giants.
How do they stack up against one another this year?
1. Jimmy Garoppolo, Los Angeles Rams
Garoppolo only appeared in one game last season for the Rams, in Week 18 when they rested their starters, having clinched the division. But he is the one backup quarterback who has been a high-level starter in his career. He was 38-17 as a starter for the 49ers and led them to the Super Bowl.
2. Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals
He enters his 10th NFL season and has started 53 games, although he is only 19-34 in those games. He is one of the most respected backups in the league. Something very important for someone coming in as a replacement — he hold the NFL's lowest all-time interception percentage at 1.4%. He takes care of the football.
3. Mac Jones, San Francisco 49ers
Jones, the former top-15 pick, went from being a promising rookie to, at best, a league-average quarterback. He is now 20-29 as a starter but 10-22 since his rookie year, and he has nearly as many interceptions (31) as touchdown passes (32) in the last three seasons. He will turn the ball over.
4. Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks
Lock is back! He was traded to the Seahawks from Denver, spent 2023 there, signed with the Giants and now is back as the Seahawks' backup quarterback behind Sam Darnold.
Lock hasn't even had one good NFL season. He has a good part of his rookie season when he went 4-1 as a starter and threw seven touchdowns and three picks, but he is a turnover-prone player. He led the NFL with 15 interceptions in 2020, despite only playing in 13 games. He is 10-18 as a starter and has a 3.5% interception percentage in his career, more than double that of Brissett.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
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