49ers news: Latest injury update on Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t promising

The 49ers may have been optimistic about Jimmy Garoppolo returning to action in the playoffs this season, but John Lynch didn’t give that impression.

Not long after the San Francisco 49ers watched quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo carted off the field early in the Week 13 game against the Miami Dolphins with what turned out to be a notable foot injury, there emerged some differing opinions surrounding when Garoppolo could return.

For starters, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that it was a possibility Jimmy G could be back during the playoffs, as there was no surgery involved with his foot.

Shortly thereafter, though, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport seemed to indicate that Garoppolo would not return to the field this year, meaning the Niners would have to finish up the regular season and playoffs with rookie Brock Purdy under center.

A smart conclusion might be somewhere in between, one that’d suggest Garoppolo could feasibly return in the playoffs but shouldn’t be expected to do so.

And that’d point to his recovery, although the latest news bit from general manager John Lynch doesn’t sound overly promising.

Jimmy Garoppolo injury news: John Lynch provides an update, it’s not optimistic

Speaking to KNBR 680’s Markus Boucher and Marcus Thompson (h/t 49ers Webzone) this week, Lynch provided an update on Garoppolo’s recovery and whether or not he had made significant strides toward getting back on the field this season.

Lynch’s comments weren’t overly encouraging, though:

"I can tell you he’s out of his cast now, in more of a boot, but still not walking on that. I think they wanted a good opportunity for healing early on, but he did get the hard cast off. So that’s the progress, but it’s not something that you can check on each and every day because the first part was just letting this thing heal. And so, we’re still kind of in that mode."

Schefter’s initial report suggested a recovery period of six to eight weeks, and the optimistic side would have Garoppolo back in the divisional round of the playoffs.

That would not, however, include the ramp-up period to get into game shape, though. And it also seems as if Garoppolo’s recovery isn’t exactly proceeding ahead of schedule, although Lynch admitted it’s hard to tell.

You can listen to Lynch’s full interview on KNBR below:

Related Story: Do 49ers bench Brock Purdy if Jimmy Garoppolo returns?

He continued:

"Jimmy is here every day. He’s in meetings. He’s very into it. He’s been great to Brock, as has Trey [Lance]. That’s nice to see. That room has always been solid here. They look out for each other. They all are competitors, but they all have each others’ backs, so that’s been cool."

From the sound of it all, it appears as if Lynch isn’t overly convinced Garoppolo will return to help the Niners out during the postseason.

If that’s the case, Purdy will hopefully continue what’s been a red-hot start to his NFL career that has included back-to-back wins as a starter over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks.

Garoppolo, meanwhile, seems likely to continue his role as a mentor.