San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan loses optimism about the return of Jimmy Garoppolo

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo avoided going to the operating room after breaking his foot. However, not all members of the team are optimistic about the QB’s possible return during the playoffs.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan stated in a press conference that the chances of Garoppolo’s return are small and that undermines his optimism about the situation.

Shanahan: ‘I’m not really optimistic’

“It is not a Lisfranc injury, it will be a difficult recovery, but less time than we anticipated. There is a very small chance that he will return late in the playoffs, but it is small," Shanahan said. "I'm not really optimistic, but I can't rule it out."

The head coach also said that one of the reasons why Garoppolo’s rehabilitation could be faster is that he did not suffer ligament damage. At this time, the former Patriots player has not been placed on injured reserve.

Happy with the QBs

Shanahan said that he is comfortable with Brock Purdy and Josh Johnson as the only quarterbacks on the roster for the remainder of the regular season. Baker Mayfield was made available on waivers, but was claimed by the Los Angeles Rams.

“We’re trying not to make a drastic change. They have a similar skill set. We got a lot of confidence in Brock. We’ve seen him in practice. That’s why we were confident enough,” the head coach said.

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“He hasn’t played a ton of football, so there is some unknown out there. But we know he’s got the ability to do it. We know he’s got the mentality to do it.”

Purdy, drafted with the last pick in the 2022 Draft, had 210 yards after completing 25/37 rushes with two touchdown passes and one interception in the game against the Miami Dolphins .