American Football

Shanahan says Jimmy Garoppolo has an ‘outside chance’ of being ready for the NFC Championship

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Miami Dolphins v San Francisco 49ers
Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images

Jimmy could help the 49ers without stepping onto the field

Jimmy Garoppolo was walking around the locker room with a boot on his left foot Friday, while Trey Lance was also in a boot, just on his right foot. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke about Garoppolo returning to the practice field:

“Yeah, it was the first week he was able to come out in the field, walk around a little bit, do some work out there, so we saw him doing his rehab stuff too as we came out.”

Shanahan added that Jimmy looked “good.” Here’s Kyle on whether Garoppolo would be ready for the NFC Championship: “I’d be surprised, but I think it depends how this whole weekend goes, but I think it’s an outside chance.”

We don’t have to sugarcoat what’s been happening for the past month and a half. The 49ers’ offense has looked better than they ever have under Kyle Shanahan. Yes, they’ve added Christian McCaffrey, but their rookie quarterback has taken them to levels we have yet to see.

Garoppolo would serve as a valuable backup and resource for Purdy on and off the field. And even if the coaching staff felt it was close between Purdy and Garoppolo, one player hasn’t played in the past month while the other is in a rhythm.

Certain 49ers reporters have gone out of their way to say San Francisco has made up their minds that Purdy will be the starter for the foreseeable future. We’ll cross that bridge once we get there, but I struggle to imagine a decision has been made amid a playoff run.

The Niners have a pair of quarterbacks on rookie contracts. They don’t have to decide anything right away since they have financial flexibility at the position. Purdy’s performance Sunday, and potentially during the next two games after, would make the team’s decision for them.

Either way, the 49ers are about to play in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. I’d implore you to live in the moment while appreciating this team as opposed to hypotheticals that we can endlessly debate for the next six months.

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