Jimmy Garoppolo won’t start for 49ers if he returns in playoffs

Even if he’s medically cleared, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo won’t regain his starting job for the 49ers in the playoffs because of Brock Purdy.

There’s an awfully good chance we’ve seen the last of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in a San Francisco 49ers uniform, particularly with the understanding that the soon-to-be free agent might not be medically cleared to return from the foot injury suffered way back in Week 13 against the Miami Dolphins.

However, even if Garoppolo is cleared to play again amid the Niners’ current run in the NFL playoffs, he won’t reclaim his starting job.

San Francisco is riding the hot wave created by rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, who has gone undefeated since taking over for an injured Garoppolo earlier in the season. Purdy, the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, is playing much more like a well-polished Pro Bowl-type veteran than a fresh-faced rookie, and the 49ers could be well-positioned to push all the way to the Super Bowl with the former Iowa State signal-caller at the helm.

And it appears as if Purdy has eliminated any idea of Garoppolo getting his former starting job back, should the latter be healthy enough to go.

Jimmy Garoppolo lost 49ers’ QB job to Brock Purdy, won’t start even if healthy in NFL playoffs

It’s rare for an established veteran to lose a starting job because of an injury, but it’s happened before. Niners fans may recall how quarterback Alex Smith lost his starter status to an up-and-coming Colin Kaepernick because of a concussion halfway through the 2012 season.

For Garoppolo, who’ll likely depart San Francisco for a guaranteed starting role elsewhere in 2023, the only way he’ll see the field again during the postseason is as Purdy’s backup, according to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer:

Glazer is notably well-connected within NFL circles, and his reporting is almost always accurate. While the 49ers haven’t necessarily confirmed this, one might automatically assume Glazer’s comments to be true.

And that means Garoppolo can only serve as Purdy’s backup.

Perhaps Purdy’s impressive outing in the Wild Card round against the Seattle Seahawks in which he accounted for four touchdowns (three passing and one rushing) sealed whatever doubts there may have been about losing a starting job to Jimmy G.

That won’t help any bid for Garoppolo to return to the Niners in 2023 either, but it also indicates what the current quarterback room would look like if Garoppolo was cleared to return.

Related Story: 49ers get encouraging injury update for Jimmy Garoppolo

Right now, veteran signal-caller Josh Johnson is Purdy’s backup.

Naturally, should Garoppolo come back from his injury, he’d assume the No. 2 spot over Johnson, likely pushing him off the 53-man roster.

Purdy will remain in the QB1 role, however, and he’ll make yet another case to solidify that role when San Francisco hosts the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs this Sunday.