When San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo went down to a foot injury early in their game against the Miami Dolphins this past Sunday, it did not look good.
Initially described as an ankle injury, Garoppolo was carted to the locker room and almost immediately ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Following San Francisco’s surprising win with rookie seventh-round pick Brock Purdy leading the charge, head coach Kyle Shanahan noted that Garoppolo will have to undergo surgery and would miss the remainder of the season.
Now, we’re not too sure. A couple days later, and it’s being reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Garoppolo will not need surgery and could return in seven to eight weeks — making it a possibility that he’s healthy enough for the NFL Playoffs.
To put this into perspective, seven weeks from Tuesday would be roughly two days after the NFL Divisional Playoffs wrap up and five days before the NFC Championship Game.
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San Francisco 49ers, Jimmy Garoppolo get good news
There’s several backdrops to this. San Francisco is 8-4 on the season and in the midst of a five-game winning streak. Even following Garoppolo’s injury news, the team didn’t show interest in claiming fellow quarterback Baker Mayfield before he landed with the division-rival Los Angeles Rams. Instead, the 49ers signed veteran journeyman Josh Johnson off the Denver Broncos’ practice squad.
This is a clear indication that head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. are comfortable with Brock Purdy starting moving forward. A former star at Iowa State, Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant as the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft this past spring.
The young signal caller played well in Garoppolo’s stead last week, completing 25-of-37 passes for 210 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
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It’s a pure hypothetical here. But if Purdy is able to lead San Francisco deep into the playoffs, the team would be hard-pressed to move on to Garoppolo despite the latter playing the best football of his career this season.
- Jimmy Garoppolo stats (2022): 67% completion, 2,437 yards, 18 total TD, 4 INT, 103.0 QB rating
From a macro perspective, this injury update is darn good news for the 49ers. It provides them hope that Garoppolo could in fact see action in the playoffs.
From a micro perspective, this is also great news for Jimmy GQ. Being able to avoid surgery will enable him to hit the NFL free agent market in March 100% healthy. Whether it’s re-signing with the 49ers or going to another team, he should now cash in big time.