The San Francisco 49ers have officially ruled out quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for this weekend's NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles. That wasn't unexpected. The chances of the former starter suiting up for Sunday's playoff bout, backing up rookie Brock Purdy, were slim.
"Yeah, it's just been an outside chance the whole time, and that was still an outside chance," head coach Kyle Shanahan said Thursday, before that outside chance turned into no chance.
The 49ers never placed Garoppolo on injured reserve, leaving the door open for a playoff return. However, we are now down to just one more game as a possibility—Super Bowl 57. Of course, the 49ers will need to beat the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field for that to happen.
Matt Barrows of The Athletic had a chance to speak with Garoppolo on Friday before the team boarded a Philly-bound plane.
"[Garoppolo] said he can do everything on his still-mending foot but sprint," Barrows wrote via a tweet. "I asked if he's on track to be available should the 49ers make it to the SB. He smiled and said that's still up in the air."
I spoke with Jimmy Garoppolo today. He said he can do everything on his still-mending foot but sprint. I asked if he's on track to be available should the 49ers make it to the SB. He smiled and said that's still up in the air.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) January 27, 2023
Garoppolo has not played since December 4, when he suffered a broken foot against the Miami Dolphins. That's when Purdy entered the game, won it, and followed that up with seven more victories as the new starting quarterback.
On Sunday, Purdy will look to become the first rookie quarterback to start and win a conference championship game. If that happens, Garoppolo may serve as his backup in Super Bowl 57. Of course, as the veteran quarterback said, even that remains "up in the air."