The San Francisco 49ers seem to have found a treasure trove of quarterback options for their team. First, they started the year with Trey Lance, who showed some promise in his limited playing time. Then, veteran Jimmy Garoppolo took over when Lance was injured and didn’t miss a beat. When he also went down, Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy took over and helped lead the team to a 10-game winning streak.
Now that they have officially made the playoffs and are locked in as the No. 2 seed, how deep of a playoff run can this stacked roster and a third-string QB go? More importantly, if they do go far, is there a chance that Garoppolo returns to take over under center? Would the team even consider that with Purdy’s play as of late?
Jimmy Garoppolo Injury Update
When talking to the media ahead of the NFL playoffs, head coach Kyle Shanahan was questioned regarding the rehab of both Lance and Garoppolo. The news was more positive for Garoppolo than Lance, the latter has already been ruled out for the remainder of the season.
According to Shanahan, Garoppolo has yet to start running after suffering a serious foot injury back during their Week 10 33-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins. Shanahan added that the goal for him is to return at some point in the playoffs, potentially in time for the NFC Championship Game or Super Bowl, if San Francisco makes it that far.
“I think he can put a little weight on it,” Shanahan said, via Cam Inman of The Mercury News, “but he’s not out there running and stuff like that, so it’s a little bit away.”
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It is promising news, considering the injury was once thought to be a Lisfranc issue, which would have easily ended his season. With the serious injury avoided, the team didn’t even need to place Garoppolo on IR.
The veteran quarterback and 2019 NFC champion was putting together a nice year statistically before the injury. Garoppolo had thrown 16 touchdowns and just four interceptions, with a 103.0 passer rating that ranked sixth in the league at the time he went down. Considering all of the offseason drama and open attempts to shop him to other teams, Garoppolo’s play certainly increased his stock heading into free agency this year.
Imagine a world where Garoppolo returns in the Super Bowl to lead the team to their record-tying sixth Lombardi Trophy. That might solidify him as the hottest offseason acquisition and potentially get him a massive payday from a QB-needy team.
Should the 49ers Bench Purdy If Garoppolo Returns?
For Garoppolo to return and actually see the field, that would mean the organization would need to make the decision to bench Purdy. It would be an interesting discussion to be had because Purdy has looked good in leading the team thus far.
If the 49ers are in the Super Bowl, that would mean the 262nd pick of the 2022 NFL Draft defeated teams like the Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, and/or the Philadelphia Eagles.
Let’s just look at the numbers. When Purdy defeated the Arizona Cardinals in Week 18, he set the 49ers’ rookie QB touchdown record that had been in place since 1974. He also became the first rookie in franchise history to win his first five starts and the third rookie QB in NFL history to do so.
Purdy also passed Patrick Mahomes (116.3) to have the second-highest passer rating across a quarterback’s first five starts in the Super Bowl era, per NFL Research. Across the six games he’s played, Purdy has 1,374 yards passing for 13 touchdowns to go along with four interceptions.
Honestly, Purdy’s been amazing. It obviously helps that he plays under offensive genius Shanahan and is surrounded by weapons like Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle. However, none of that takes away from how unbelievable the rookie has played.
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Additionally, using PFN’s Chief Strategy Officer Brett Yarris’ Behavior Bets sports betting model, we can see that Purdy has significantly improved the team’s offensive production since taking over for Garoppolo.
In the five games Purdy started, the 49ers are getting better in scoring behavior rate, scoring 37% more points per minute of possession time week over week. Their average scoring behavior rate of 1.035 points per minute of possession time in five games with Purdy is 45% higher than their SBR with Garoppolo.
However, the biggest issue sticking with Purdy is simply history. Never in the NFL’s illustrious creation has a rookie QB won the Super Bowl. In fact, a rookie QB has never even been to the Super Bowl. That fact might play into whether or not the 49ers decide to go back to the veteran presence of Jimmy G if he’s available.
Regardless, it’s a good position to be in as the rich just continue to get richer out in San Francisco.