The 2024 season marks the 10-year anniversary of the 2014 New England Patriots team that went on to win Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks.
But 10 years later, there’s only one player from that team who’s still on an NFL roster: quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
The 32-year-old Garoppolo is currently a backup quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams. In 2023, he opened the season as the starter for the Las Vegas Raiders, playing in six games that year before getting benched in October.
Time flies in the NFL, especially for players. That 2014 Patriots team was loaded with familiar names like Tom Brady, Vince Wilfork, Rob Gronkowski, Dont’a Hightower and Julian Edelman — along with the emergence of a little-known rookie named Malcolm Butler.
Many of those players were on hand in Week 2 at Gillette Stadium when the Patriots honored that team with a halftime ceremony.
Back in 2014, he was a rookie second-round pick out of Eastern Illinois who was viewed as a possible heir to Brady’s job in New England.
A few key players from that team called it a career recently. Special teams ace Matthew Slater retired at the end of the 2023 season, as did defensive back Logan Ryan. The 2022 season marked the final seasons for Brady and defensive back Devin McCourty.
There are a couple of players from the 2014 Patriots roster who have yet to retire, but remain free agents. Of note, safety Duron Harmon and offensive tackle Cam Fleming have been floating around as potential free agent signings for teams. Meanwhile, running back Brandon Bolden played for the Raiders in 2023 and has not indicated that he’s retiring.
As for Garoppolo, things could get interesting for him soon. The veteran quarterback started the season by serving a two-game suspension after testing positive for a banned substance.
Now, he could be on the trade market. With the Miami Dolphins facing multiple injuries at quarterback, Garoppolo’s name has been floated as a candidate to serve as an in-season replacement in Miami.
