Jimmy Garoppolo suffered what was initially thought to be a season-ending broken foot on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. The 49ers assumed he would need to undergo surgery with an estimated six-month recovery time.
On Tuesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter broke the news that doctors had an update on the prognosis. Garoppolo would not require season-ending surgery, and the quarterback might be able to return in seven to eight weeks. That timeline puts a potential return at some point during the playoffs.
"It's not a Lisfranc," Shanahan told reporters. "They don't have to do surgery on it. Still going to be a big recovery, but much less than what we anticipated, which is awesome news for him. In the offseason, he'll be good to go right away, so it won't be like last year."
The coach confirmed that Garoppolo didn't sustain any ligament damage. So what about a return for the upcoming postseason?
"Really, there's that way outside chance late in the playoffs or something like that," Shanahan admitted, "but it's just an outside chance. I'm not real optimistic about that, but you never rule it out."
So it looks like it might still be rookie Brock Purdy for all of San Francisco's remaining games, regular season and postseason.
The 49ers haven't decided whether they would place Garoppolo on the injured reserve list. The team can only open windows for a return from injured reserve for two more players. It might be telling if Garoppolo ended up on the team's injured reserve list.
"Most likely, even if that did happen, he wouldn't be able to come back for that, so we'll see how these IR decisions play out over the next couple of weeks," Shanahan said.
The coach noted that the seven to eight week timeline was a best-case scenario and didn't necessarily mean Garoppolo would be ready to step back on the football field after that.
"Not to play football," Shanahan said. "It's seven to eight weeks, but to heal. ... I know it's a serious injury that will most likely keep him out for the year, and I know it was really good news that there was no ligament damage or anything, so he'll be fine once the broken foot heals."
Related News
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
49ers prediction has wideout winning OROY but team missing the playoffs
John Breech of CBS Sports has made his projections for the 2026 NFL season, and one of his "bold predictions" is that San Francisco 49ers wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling will win the coveted NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. While some analysts initially criticized the... -
49ers' Kyle Shanahan reacts to latest Aaron Donald news
Defensive tackle Aaron Donald will not travel with the Los Angeles Rams to Melbourne, Australia, where they will face the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1. That is a significant relief for the 49ers, who won't have to worry about containing the three-time NFL Defensive Player of... -
Kyle Shanahan shares final updates ahead of 49ers-Rams game in Australia
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters before Tuesday's (Wednesday in Melbourne) practice at AAMI Park as the team prepares for its Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia. Here's everything Shanahan had to say ahead of... -
Kyle Shanahan reveals his thoughts on 49ers-Rams, Australia ahead of Week 1
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters before Sunday's (Monday in Melbourne) practice at AAMI Park as the team prepares for its Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia. Here's everything Shanahan had to say ahead of the...