SANTA CLARA – Jimmy Garoppolo’s fractured foot reportedly will not require surgery, inviting a scenario in which he returns to the 49ers during the playoffs.
The 49ers initially feared that Garoppolo sustained a Lisfranc (midfoot) fracture in the opening series of Sunday’s 33-17 win over Miami.
Upon further review by foot specialists, Garoppolo could return in seven to eight weeks if his rehabilitation goes well, ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported Tuesday. A 49ers spokesman said the team continues to evaluate Garoppolo’s status.
Garoppolo sustained no ligament damage, according to the NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, who noted that Garoppolo is “still more likely out for the season” but the shorter recovery time will enhance his free agency prospects come March whether he returns or not.
The playoffs open Jan. 14-15 with wild-card games and the divisional round, played the next weekend, will be seven weeks after Garoppolo’s injury. At 8-4, the 49ers are unlikely to ascend to the No. 1 seed and earn a bye through the wild-card round, so if the timeline holds, Purdy would have to win at least one playoff game to put Garoppolo back in play.
Coach Kyle Shanahan indicated Monday that the 49ers received “good news” that Garoppolo might not have had the Lisfranc fracture, which would have resulted in a much lengthier recovery of possibly six months.
The 49ers did not immediately respond to a request for comment or clarification Tuesday.
Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, who replaced Garoppolo on Sunday, remains in line to start for the first-place 49ers in their push to make their third postseason in four years. Next up is a Sunday home game between the Niners (8-4) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-6).
Garoppolo has not commented publicly on his injury. He left Levi’s Stadium in the second half of the 49ers’ fifth straight win, after seeing teammates at halftime, in what Nick Bosa termed an emotional moment.
Garoppolo returned to the 49ers’ facility on Monday and attended the team meeting in good spirits, Shanahan said.
The 49ers have not placed Garoppolo on injured reserve, and if they do, he’d miss a minimum of four games, which is expected anyhow but the team has only two spots left to activate players off IR. Quarterback Trey Lance will remain on it this season because of his Week 2 ankle fracture, at least that is what Shanahan and general manager John Lynch maintain.
Garoppolo, prior to getting sacked and injured on his eighth play Sunday, was playing the most efficient football of his career. He’s gone 141 consecutive passes without an interception, a stretch that began after halftime of the 49ers’ last loss (Oct. 23 against Kansas City). He’s completed 88-of-123 passes (71.5 percent) for 980 yards and five touchdowns in the four wins that preceded Sunday’s victory over Miami.
Garoppolo, 31, is slated to become a free agent next spring, having reworked his contract before this season to take a pay cut and insert no-trade and no-tag clauses.
As for Garoppolo’s comeback history, he’s shown a propensity to overcome health issues, especially in last season’s playoff run, when he dealt with torn ligaments in his right thumb as well as a right-shoulder injury that required surgery in March. Earlier last season, Garoppolo sustained a calf injury in Week 4 that prompted Lance’s first start the ensuing week at Arizona; Garoppolo sat out a December home win over Houston the week after hurting his thumb at Tennessee.
Garoppolo obviously could not return in 2018 after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in a Week 3 loss at Kansas City. Although high-ankle sprains limited him to 10 games in 2020, Garoppolo resumed practicing the final weeks of that season, when the 49ers were embedded in Glendale, Arizona, because of Santa Clara County’s COVID-19 protocol banning football during the pandemic.
Journeyman Josh Johnson was officially signed Tuesday to back up Purdy, who will make his first career start Sunday against Tom Brady. The 45-year-old Brady will be making his 331st start, not including his 47 playoff starts and 10 Super Bowl appearances (seven rings).
In other NFL quarterback news, Baker Mayfield was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Rams, a day after the Carolina Panthers released him. The Rams were fourth in the claiming order; the 49ers were 24th and it’s unknown if they tried to acquire Mayfield.
Johnson played with the Jets and Ravens last season, appearing in four games and completing 57-of-87 pass attempts for 638 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. He signed with the Broncos in the offseason and joined their practice squad in August.
The 36-year-old Oakland native was previously signed by the 49ers in 2012, 2014 and 2020-21, though he has never played a regular-season snap for the Niners. Johnson has started nine games in his career, throwing 13 touchdowns and 16 interceptions with a 58.1% completion rate and a passer rating of 70.7.
Armstead again 49ers’ Man of the Year
For the third straight season, defensive lineman Arik Armstead is the 49ers’ nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year.
Armstead, who returned Sunday from foot and ankle injuries that kept him out two months, has focused his off-field efforts on education through his foundation, the Armstead Academic Project.
The 49ers surprised Armstead by having a child read off the announcement during the defensive lineman’s visit to the Hubbard Media Arts Academy in San Jose.
“I consider my career as what I do on the field and off the field. I think they both go hand in hand,” Armstead told the team’s website. “I know a lot of guys do a lot of amazing things in the community, so to be a part of that and be honored with them is a huge experience for me and I don’t take it lightly.”
According to the 49ers, Armstead has read to nearly 3,000 students since 2015 through his Storytime with Arik Armstead program and sponsored more than 2,000 students for youth football camps and college field trips.
Michael Nowels contributed to this story.
Source: www.mercurynews.com