Jimmy Garoppolo Fantasy News and Statistics

For an FCS school that has only won four playoff games in its history, the Eastern Illinois Panthers have produced two exciting quarterbacks. Tony Romo was the first, starring at the university from 1999 to 2002. Romo was the first player in school history to win the Walter Payton Award, given annually to the best FCS player in the nation. Jimmy Garoppolo was the second to earn the honor.

Garoppolo was a four-year starter at EIU, winning the job midway through his freshman season and holding onto it throughout his time at the university. He showed gradual improvement over his first three seasons, but he really took off as a senior. In his second year under Dino Babers, Garoppolo ripped up the school’s record books, throwing for over 5,000 yards and 53 touchdowns on his way to winning the Walter Payton Award.

Bill Belichick liked what he saw of Garoppolo, especially during his senior season. The New England Patriots ended up using a late second-round selection on him—the franchise’s highest-drafted quarterback since Drew Bledsoe.

Garoppolo began to flash his potential during his rookie season. It’s not often that a grizzled coach like Belichick gives a rookie playing time, especially at the quarterback position, but Jimmy G saw the field six times in 2014 and threw passes in three of those games. He was a little hesitant in the pocket, getting sacked five times, but he finished the season with a quarterback rating of over 100 in limited action.

He didn’t see much time in 2015, but he burst onto the scene last year after Tom Brady was suspended for four games by Roger Goodell. Garoppolo was the team’s Week 1 starter and had a solid outing against the Cardinals. He completed 72.7 percent of his passes and threw for 264 yards and a touchdown to get his first NFL win. The only hiccup in the performance were his two second-quarter fumbles.

Garoppolo played superbly in a Patriots win the next week, too. He recorded touchdowns in New England’s first three drives against Miami and looked set to have a banner day. Unfortunately, it was cut short midway through the second quarter after he took a hit from Kiko Alonso. Garoppolo was diagnosed with a sprained AC joint and only threw four passes the rest of the season following the return of Brady.

This offseason, most people expected Garoppolo to be traded. His value was sky high after his performance in 2016. With free agency looming next year, many experts believed that the shrewd Belichick would deal him for draft picks. New England decided to hold onto the youngster for one more year, though. While he is probably ready to start somewhere, he has limited game experience, so another year learning from Brady won’t hurt. Garoppolo may see some real action this year, too. Brady is 40 years old, and everything we know about the NFL tells us he only has one or two good years left. Even if New England ultimately doesn’t get anything for him, Garoppolo is a great insurance policy in 2017.