San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan offered a promising update on quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo ahead of the weekend.
Per Matt Barrows of The Athletic, Shanahan told reporters Friday that Garoppolo could be available “late in the playoffs.” The 31-year-old is still recovering from the broken foot he suffered back on Dec. 4:
Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk noted that Shanahan confirmed on Dec. 26 Garoppolo had the cast removed from his foot.
It was reported on Dec. 6 that Garoppolo did not need surgery to repair his injury and could potentially return to the active roster roughly seven-to-eight weeks from that time. As shared by NBC Sports, the NFC Championship Game is scheduled for Jan. 29, while Super Bowl LVII will occur on Feb. 12.
Garoppolo appeared in 11 games after starter Trey Lance went down with a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2. Per ESPN stats, Jimmy G is still fourth among qualified quarterbacks with a 103.0 passer rating, tied for seventh with a 67.2% completion percentage, and fourth with an average of 7.9 yards per pass attempt on the campaign. He had 16 touchdown passes and four interceptions before his latest setback.
Rookie Brock Purdy, the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, has gone 4-0 as a starter in Garoppolo’s place. Purdy has connected on 99-of-150 pass attempts (66.0%) for 1,196 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions in eight games and four starts. His 67.8 total QBR would be good for fifth among eligible players.
The 12-4 49ers end their regular season with a home game against the 4-12 Arizona Cardinals this Sunday.
