San Francisco 49ers fans and local media members clamoring for Jimmy Garoppolo to play might have to sit on their hands a while longer.
It’s been reported that the 49ers have been targeting Week 12 against the Seattle Seahawks for Garoppolo to finally make his first start.
However, head coach Kyle Shanahan has said recently that he’s not sure if Garopppolo will even play this year — something nobody really bought. But perhaps we should have bought it, based on what Shanahan said Sunday.
“That’s not my plan,” Shanahan said, per Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle. “I don’t have a plan yet. There’s no way anything you guys hear reported could be accurate, because I just told you guys our plan.”
The 49ers have more than 20 players on IR right now and have an offensive line that is clearly in disrepair. They won their first game of the season on Sunday against the New York Giants, but that was just as much a result of New York falling into a pit as it was the 49ers playing well.
With that in mind, it seems like the move to acquire Garoppolo really was to build around him for the future, rather than potentially trade him after the season as some reports suggested. Whether he plays this year or remains on the sideline to master Shanahan’s offense in secret, San Francisco won’t win many games. So perhaps the best thing right now for the 49ers is to keep their future franchise passer sealed in bubble wrap until next year.