Well, this is a twist.
Two days after 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo sustained a season-ending foot injury, Adam Schefter of ESPN has reported that isn’t necessarily the case.
According to Schefter, Garoppolo does not have a Lisfranc injury and will not need surgery despite breaking a few bones in his foot. If the rehab goes well, Garoppolo could return in the next 7-8 weeks, giving him an outside chance to return for the playoffs. The regular season ends in five weeks, meaning that Garoppolo could make a return for a divisional playoff game or NFC championship game.
Shanahan said on Monday that the Garoppolo injury might not be as bad as they initially feared, and there were reports that Jimmy G was getting a second opinion.
“That’s why they’re still trying to work through it,” Shanahan said Monday. “Some specialists have to finalize it, so we don’t want to give you guys any false information. They’re discussing all those things, but we’re feeling like it’s starting to get better than that, so we’ll see when we get the official information.”
Whether or not Garoppolo would actually start a playoff game after being on the shelf for two months is a different story. Presumably, if the 49ers punch their ticket to a divisional playoff or farther, backup Brock Purdy is playing at least serviceable football. There is also the calculation of Garoppolo’s mobility, and if a Garoppolo that can’t move very much is worth throwing out there.
The 49ers also have to decide whether to keep Garoppolo on the active roster or place him on the Injured Reserve. San Francisco can only bring two more players off the IR for the remainder of the season, and Elijah Mitchell and Javon Kinlaw are both candidates to return. If Garoppolo goes on IR and then comes off, one of those two players would not be able to return.