The Los Angeles Rams made a big move in free agency last month when they signed Jimmy Garoppolo to fill their opening at backup quarterback. However, it appears that Garoppolo wasn't their first choice for the job.
During a recent interview on the Puck Sports podcast, Mike Garafolo of NFL Media revealed that the Rams were targeting former Commanders quarterback Sam Howell and that the coaching staff wanted him "badly," but they didn't get him because the Seahawks were willing to pay more.
"The [Seahawk] outbid the Rams, who I know that there was a strong feeling on the Rams coaching staff that they wanted Sam Howell badly," Garafolo told host Jason Puckett. "They really liked him, so the Seahawks were able to outbid them. So that's good, you got him and you also kept him away from a team that really could have used him as a potential successor."
The Seahawks ended up offering more for Howell in a deal that went down on March 14. To make the trade happen, the Seahawks sent a third-round pick (No. 78 overall) and a fifth-rounder (No. 152) to Washington. In exchange, the Seahawks got Howell, a fourth-round draft pick (No. 102) and a sixth-rounder (No. 179).
It's not clear what the Rams offered for Howell, but whatever it was, the Commanders liked Seattle's offer better. Howell started all 17 games for Washington last year during a season where the Commanders went 4-13. Howell actually started a game against the Rams last season, but he struggled in a 28-20 loss, going just 11 of 26 for 102 yards before being benched in the fourth quarter with his team trailing the Rams, 28-7.
Once Howell got dealt to Seattle, the Rams immediately went to Plan B. Less than 24 hours after the Howell trade went down, the Rams signed Jimmy Garoppolo in free agency to fill their opening at backup quarterback. The only problem with the Garoppolo signing is that he'll be suspended for the first two weeks of the season, which means the Rams will still need to find someone to play the role of backup for their first two games of 2024.
Carson Wentz served as the team's backup to close the 2023 season, but the Rams didn't re-sign him, which left them with an opening at the spot heading into free agency.
