Jimmy Garoppolo's career has been something of a roller coaster, moving from backup to starter and back again.
During that span, however, Garoppolo has consistently been part of winning teams. While he has spent a significant portion of his career in a backup role, he has been on only three teams in 12 seasons that finished with a losing record.
That success has translated into multiple deep playoff runs, with his appearance in the 2025 NFC Championship Game with the Los Angeles Rams serving as the latest example. Between the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, and Rams, Garoppolo's teams have now reached seven conference championship games.
Here's a look back at each of Garoppolo's conference championship appearances.
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Jimmy Garroppolo conference championship history
2014 AFC championship: Patriots 43, Colts 22
Garoppolo was drafted in 2014 to be Tom Brady's backup, which allowed him to get experience on winning teams. While New England won this game in a blowout, Garoppolo didn't appear in the contest.
2015 AFC championship: Broncos 20, Patriots 18
Another appearance as a backup, Garoppolo never came close to coming into this tight contest. The Broncos beat the Patriots in Denver so Garoppolo remained on the sideline for the entirety of the game.
2016 AFC championship: Patriots 36, Steelers 17
For the third-straight year, Garoppolo made it to the AFC championship game with the Patriots as a backup QB, and he once again didn't play in the game. New England comfortably beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, but Brady remained in the game the entire time.
2019 NFC championship: 49ers 37, Packers 20
Garoppolo finally got a start in an championship game as a member of the San Francisco 49ers during the 2019 seaason. The 49ers were the best team in the league that year at 13-3 and hosted the Green Bay Packers in the game.
Still, while the 49ers cruised to an easy win, Garoppolo didn't have to do much. Raheem Mostert led the way for San Francisco with 220 rushing yards and four touchdowns, while Garoppolo only went 6/8 for 77 passing yards.
220 yards and FOUR TDs 😮💨
— NFL (@NFL) January 19, 2024
Raheem Mostert was nothing short of spectacular in the 2019 NFC Championship game.
📺: #GBvsSF - Saturday 8:15pm ET on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/x9XvAl8sIp
2021 NFC championship: Rams 20, 49ers 17
Two years late, the 49ers and Garoppolo returned to the NFC championship game against the rival Los Angeles Rams. San Francisco was the road team in this game, but couldn't come out on top as the Rams won.
Garoppolo had a mixed-bag performance, going 16/30 for 232 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception. The 49ers were up 17-7 entering the fourth quarter, but blew the lead while Garoppolo threw a game-ending pick in the final drive.
AARON DONALD CREATES THE TURNOVER. #RamsHouse #NFLPlayoffs
— NFL (@NFL) January 31, 2022
📺: #SFvsLAR on FOX
📱: https://t.co/vywGt5Kgfz pic.twitter.com/pcltmPm9EP
2022 NFC championship: Eagles 31, 49ers 7
The 2022 season was an unusual one for Garoppolo, who lost his starting job to Trey Lance to begin the year but regained it after Lance suffered an injury. Garoppolo started 10 games for San Francisco before a season-ending foot injury sidelined him in November.
Brock Purdy took over and led the 49ers back to the NFC Championship Game. However, Purdy was injured early in the contest, derailing San Francisco’s chances in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, as the team could have used Garoppolo simply to finish out the season.
2025 NFC championship: Rams vs. Seahawks
Garoppolo has been the backup quarterback for the Rams since 2024, once again serving as a depth piece on a winning team. The veteran quarterback made his seventh NFC championship game during the year, this time as Los Angeles plays the Seattle Seahawks.
Most conference championship appearances by player
Unsurprisingly, Tom Brady holds the record for most conference championships by a single player, as he has appeared in 14 conference championship games. Of those, 13 came with the Patriots, while one was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady clears the field by four appearances, and only one other player has even played in 10. That would be former Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski, who made 10 AFC championship games along with Brady.