Man, I gotta tell you about this rabbit hole I fell into today. Seriously wasn’t planning to spend hours digging, but once I saw some dude arguing fiercely online that Jimmy Garoppolo’s got Super Bowl rings, I just had to know for myself. No shortcuts this time.
The Spark That Lit the Fire
So, I’m scrolling through my phone this morning, half-asleep, sipping cold coffee. Bam. This Twitter thread pops up. Two guys going at it like pitbulls over whether Jimmy G owns championship bling. One swears he’s got ’em, the other calls him delusional. Figured, hell, why not settle it myself?
Opening Pandora’s Box
First stop, Google. Just typed straight in: “Jimmy Garoppolo Super Bowl rings”. Expected a clean answer. Wrong. Every top result screamed confusion. Articles screamed he DOESN’T have one! But then… forums talking about him earning TWO as a backup? My brain got tangled faster than headphones in a pocket.
Pulled up Pro Football Reference next. Clicked Jimmy G’s profile like a madman. Saw it clear as day: Patriots drafted him 2014. Okay, Patriots won the Super Bowl…February 2015. Wait, but was he active? Held my breath and scrolled to the 2014 season game logs. Checked the Super Bowl XLIX roster list. Boom. He’s right there, listed as QB2 behind Brady. So that’s one ring. Solid.
The Second Ring Quest
Feeling pumped, I dug for ring number two. Patriots won again in Super Bowl LI… that’s February 2017. Flipped back to Jimmy’s career timeline. Heart dropped. Saw he got traded to the 49ers in October 2017. Time travel ain’t real, folks! How’s he getting a ring for a game played months before he joined the Niners?
Went deeper into that 2016 Patriots season. Pulled up old archived rosters. Took forever finding a legit source. Finally landed on the official NFL press release for Super Bowl LI player participation. Scanned the QB section. Brady. And the backup… Jacoby Brissett? Jimmy G?! Felt like I got sucker-punched. Confusion city. Realized I got my seasons scrambled. Jimmy was Brady’s backup early that 2016 season, BUT he got hurt Week 2. Brissett took over as QB2. Jimmy didn’t play after October. Traded off-season.
Quick check: Super Bowl LI happened February 2017. Jimmy wasn’t on the Patriots roster then. He was in Foxboro packing boxes for San Fran. Ring eligibility? Zilch. They don’t mail you rings after you leave the team! Felt kinda dumb, but hey, live and learn.
The Final Verdict
Okay, let’s straighten this mess out:
- Super Bowl XLIX (Feb 2015): Rookie Jimmy G. On the Patriots roster. Backing up Brady. Active for the game. Got himself a ring. Fact.
- Super Bowl LI (Feb 2017): Patriots won. BUT! Jimmy Garoppolo had been traded to the 49ers months prior. Off the roster entirely. Not eligible. No second ring.
So yeah, the absolute truth after my morning deep dive? Jimmy Garoppolo owns exactly ONE Super Bowl ring. He earned it riding the pine during his rookie season in New England. That’s it. That’s the whole story. It ain’t two. And any argument otherwise is just noise. Case closed. My coffee’s officially colder than ice now.
