Jimmy Garoppolo tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in a Sept. 23 game against the Chiefs. Four months later, the 49ers quarterback is throwing to running back Jerick McKinnon.
He and the 49ers are targeting organized team activities for his return to the field.
“We’re hopeful he’s going to get to take part in our OTAs,” Lynch told Ian Rapoport of NFL Media. “That’s the plan, and he hasn’t had any setbacks, so he’s doing really well. I’m really proud of him, too.”
Garoppolo, 26, signed a $137.5 million contract with the 49ers a year ago. He, and they, entered the season with high hopes, but Garoppolo’s season, and the 49ers’, ended in Week Three.
“We all got together and said this can’t be a wasted year [for Garoppolo] in terms from the neck up, in terms of talking football,” Lynch said. “That was one of the hard things.
“Jimmy needs to play. He hasn’t played a ton of games. How can you try to recreate that? How can you try to grow from the neck up and in your football acumen, his ability, and experience in this system?”
Garoppolo has started only 10 career games, including eight in San Francisco after they acquired him from the Patriots at the 2017 trade deadline.