Breaking Down an Under-the-Radar Option at Quarterback

When it comes to what veteran quarterback the Miami Dolphins might pursue if they move on, as expected, from longtime starter Tua Tagovailoa, the conversations pretty much all start and end with Malik Willis.

The reason is pretty obvious, his familiarity with new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and new head coach Jeff Hafley, not to mention some assistant coaches, from their two seasons together with the Green Bay Packers.

There also have been other veterans mentioned, such as Kirk Cousins, Mac Jones, maybe Daniel Jones, and all of those options have their merit.

But there's another impending veteran free agent who also would make a lot of sense in a couple of levels, a player who was mentioned by South Florida-based NFL Network reporter Cameron Wolfe this week.

Jimmy Garoppolo.

Yes, the one and only Jimmy G.

WHY GETTING GAROPPOLO WOULD WORK

The former New England Patriots second-round pick played the last two seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, where he served as the backup to 2025 NFL MVP Matthew Stafford.

During that time, Garoppolo made one start in 2024 and then played 18 snaps over three games this past season, so while staying with the Rams might have some appeal for him, one would think the opportunity to compete for a starting job might be enticing as well.

The Dolphins' quarterback situation is very muddled at the moment because of Tagovailoa's status, but what Sullivan and Hafley have said is that they want competition at the position — something we haven't really seen in Miami since 2019 when newcomer Josh Rosen and veteran free agent Ryan Fitzpatrick battled.

While the consensus seems to be that the Dolphins will pursue Willis, there's no guarantee they'll be to get him, first because they likely will face competition for his services and second because Willis might prefer going somewhere he figures he'll be the guy from day one.

Besides Tagovailoa, the Dolphins currently have 2025 draft picks Quinn Ewers and Cam Miller on the roster, as well as Zach Wilson, though the latter's contract has voided and he's now scheduled to become a free agent when the new league year starts March 11.

What the 2026 quarterback room ends up looking like is anybody's guess, even in terms of the composition.

But the idea of having a veteran bridge starter, along with Ewers and possibly Miller or a 2026 draft pick certainly has merit given that Miami isn't likely to find its long-term answer in a draft severely lacking in big-time prospects at the position.

And Garoppolo could prove a solid option, one that should be cheaper than what Willis figures to get on the open market.

This also is a quarterback who has produced.

Over his 12-year career, Garoppolo has a 43-21 record as a starter (we mention it with the caveat that won-loss isn't really a QB stat) and a career 97.6 passer rating. That passer rating is ninth-best in NFL history, with seven of the top eight being current players with the one exception being Drew Brees.

Garoppolo's best stretch as an NFL quarterback came when he was with the San Francisco 49ers and was the starter for three straight seasons.

In 2019, Garoppolo started every game, produced a 102.0 passer rating and helped the 49ers reach the Super Bowl, where they lost against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Garoppolo's time with the 49ers spanned 2017-22, and guess who else was in San Francisco at that time ... new Dolphins offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. After he starting coaching on offense in 2017, Slowik eventually switched to offense as a staff assistant before moving to pass game specialist and pass game coordinator.

So clearly there's a lot of familiarity there, way more so than the Willis-Sullivan-Hafley connection.

There's obviously more that will factor into the Dolphins decision, but it does seem as though if the Dolphins want to go the veteran bridge QB route, Garoppolo sure would make a lot of sense.