49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s season was over when he fractured his foot last Sunday, but the door may not be totally closed on a return.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that doctors have determined that Garoppolo does not have a Lisfranc injury and that he does not require surgery in order for the fracture to heal. The report adds that Garoppolo could return in seven-to-eight weeks if his rehab goes smoothly.
Seven weeks from now would be the divisional round of the playoffs and the 49ers hope that they will still be playing football at that point. The conditional nature of Garoppolo’s return means that certainly won’t be something that they are planning on at this point.
In addition to the uncertainty about his recovery, making it to the divisional round would likely mean that rookie Brock Purdy has played well in Garoppolo’s place and that would make it difficult to make a change back to a player who missed nearly two months of action.
All of that will be determined down the line with the key takeaway for now being that Garoppolo’s recovery timeline is shorter than originally expected.