Kyle Shanahan reveals timeline for possible Jimmy Garoppolo return

The San Francisco 49ers may have to win a pair of games to have quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo back on the active roster this winter. 

"I'd be surprised, but I think it depends on how this whole weekend goes and stuff," San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Friday about Garoppolo possibly being available next weekend, per David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. "But I think it's an outside chance."

Shanahan added there is "a better chance" of Garoppolo being active for Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12 than for the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 29. The 31-year-old hasn't played since he went down with a broken foot back on Dec. 4 and will again be a spectator when the 49ers host the Dallas Cowboys this Sunday. 

"It was the first week he was able to come out on the field, walk around a little bit, do some work out there," Shanahan said of Garoppolo's ongoing recovery. 

Even if Garoppolo somehow jumps ahead of schedule, it's been reported that he would serve as the backup behind rookie sensation Brock Purdy if San Francisco beats Dallas. Purdy won his first six starts, including last weekend's 41-23 wild-card victory over the Seattle Seahawks, and may have already cemented himself as the team's Week 1 starter for the 2023 campaign. 

According to ESPN, Purdy posted the second-highest passer rating (131.5) and second-best total QBR (89.5) of the wild-card portion of the postseason tournament. The 23-year-old completed 18 of 30 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns against Seattle.