The story in the Bay Area for the last two months has been the play of 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy. But for a team that has already seen its top two quarterback options for the season go down with injury, the prospect of having to turn to veteran, journeyman quarterback Josh Johnson is not an extremely attractive one ahead of the conference championship and Super Bowl. It was good news, then, when head coach Kyle Shanahan reported earlier this week that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had an “outside chance” of being available for this weekend’s game with a Super Bowl trip being even more likely, according to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.
A more recent update from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network has clarified that the 49ers don't expect Garoppolo to be available for the NFC Championship Game due to his most recent X-rays. That doesn’t rule him out for the big game in two weeks, though. If the 49ers make it past the Eagles for a trip to Arizona, they may see a significant upgrade to their quarterbacks room.
Purdy would most likely continue in his starting role, as the team has not lost with him at quarterback, but Garoppolo would be a massive upgrade at backup quarterback over Johnson. Johnson was given the roster spot for a reason, but Garoppolo’s years of familiarity and experience with the offense makes him much more suited for success in an emergency situation during the season’s biggest game.
Regardless, as big of a game as it is, San Francisco likely respects Garoppolo too much to rush him back into play if he’s not ready. If there is any danger of further injury, expect the two-deep to show Purdy and Johnson as the top options.
Here’s another rumor for the 49ers as they prepare to join rest of the NFL in the offseason, whether that be in three days or seventeen:
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