Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
When Jimmy Garoppolo spoke with reporters last week, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback noted that he no longer overthinks about the knee he injured during the 2018 season. He is a year further removed from the torn ACL and isn't concerned about his mobility or that first big hit, as was the case last offseason.
"It's night and day compared to where I was last year, at this time,"
Garoppolo said. "At this time last year, it was more so getting back to being in a live pocket, having live bullets flying around me, and getting used to that. We're past that. I haven't really thought about it in a long time."
Garoppolo has been taking part in walk-throughs without the brace he wore all offseason last year and throughout the regular season and playoffs. That was revealed last week when the 49ers posted the following video of the quarterback without it.
The first practices with contact begin next week, so we'll see if that continues through the remainder of training camp.
Fullback
Kyle Juszczyk spoke with reporters on Tuesday via a video conference call and indicated that Garoppolo might be ready to take his game to the next level now that the quarterback's concern for his knee is behind him.
"I just know, speaking as an athlete myself, when you don't have to think about something, if something's not in the back of your mind, and it's not weighing on you, it relieves so much stress, so much pressure, and you're able to play so much more freely," Juszczyk shared.
"So, if he's not thinking about that knee, if it's not even in his head, that's going to be a huge advantage for him, and something that I know, just as an athlete, would make me play better. And I think you're going to see it from him.
"When you don't have to think about that stuff, you can just go turn it loose."
Garoppolo nearly passed for 4,000 yards last season while guiding the 49ers to a division championship and a Super Bowl in his first full NFL season as a starter. Juszczyk isn't the only one who believes the quarterback is capable of more now that he is nearly two years removed from the knee injury.
"When you're coming off an ACL, your concern is, 'Man, can I do this?'" head coach
Kyle Shanahan said last week. "That takes a guy a while to get into stuff. Me seeing him now, talking to him on Zooms, but really just seeing him throwing with the wideouts on air, and getting into these walk-throughs, you can tell that he wasn't working on his ACL all offseason.
"He's been working on everything that he learned through his experiences of last season. And when you can do that, I don't see how you won't get better."
Related News
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw for a franchise-record 4,280 yards last season, leading the team to the Super Bowl and earning his first Pro Bowl selection. He held onto the football 39 times on the ground, rushing for 144 yards and scoring twice. This marked a significant improvement over his rookie 2022 campaign when he had 22 carries for 13 yards and a score.
Purdy further displayed his athleticism during the 49ers' playoff game against the Detroit Lions last season, helping engineer a comeback victory while rushing for 48 yards on five carries.
On Tuesday morning, Purdy joined the "Pat McAfee Show," acknowledging that he believes he can contribute more rushing yards if called upon. However, that decision rests with head coach Kyle Shanahan,
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
