Shanahan: No scenario in which Garoppolo returns
San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan says he can’t envision “any scenario” in which quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is on the roster in 2023.
The same goes for any other accomplished quarterback who will be on the free agent or trade market.
The big takeaway from a news conference held by Shanahan and general manager John Lynch three days after the 49ers’ 31-7 loss in the NFC Championship Game? The team’s leaders don’t think the 2023 quarterback plan changed after rookie sensation Brock Purdy tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow Sunday.
Shanahan and Lynch said they expect Purdy and Trey Lance will be the team’s top two quarterbacks next season and that the 49ers will add a lowertier quarterback in free agency or the draft.
That seemingly would rule out trading for Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers — and Tom Brady removed himself from the discussion by announcing his retirement Wednesday.
The decision is based on the relatively optimistic outlook regarding Purdy’s injury. Purdy is still gathering medical information, but Lynch said the expectation is that he’ll have his UCL surgically repaired and be fully cleared around the start of training camp in late July.
Meanwhile, Lance is expected to be ready for the start of OTA practices in May. Lance, who suffered a broken ankle in Week 2, had a second surgery to remove hardware Dec. 30.
Given that Purdy and Lance could both be available for the start of training camp, Shanahan said there wasn’t a need to scour the quarterback market.
“I know we have two starters on our team right now that I believe we can win with,” Shanahan said. “So when you have that situation, you’re not that eager to go looking around.”
The news conference appeared to place an unceremonious and unsentimental period on Garoppolo’s six-season tenure with the franchise, which included a 40-17 record as a starter and three season-ending injuries.
Asked if he could envision a scenario in which “Jimmy” remained with the team, Shanahan’s answer was brief.
“No,” he said. “I don’t see any scenario of that.”
A reporter clarified that he was referring to Garoppolo and not defensive back Jimmie Ward, who also will be an unrestricted free agent in March. “Gotcha,” Shanahan said. A year ago, when it appeared likely Garoppolo had played his last game with the 49ers before he restructured his contract shortly before the 2022 season opener, the tenor was far different.
Garoppolo offered an emotional farewell to reporters and Lynch discussed how “appreciative” the 49ers were for what he’d provided the franchise.
On Tuesday, Garoppolo exited after clean-out day before the media arrived in the locker room. And, in contrast to last year, neither Shanahan nor Lynch kept the door open a crack for Garoppolo’s possible return.
A key difference is that Garoppolo, who was still under contract last year, will hit free agency next month. And Purdy’s prognosis and stunning performance as a rookie — he went 7-1 after he was the final pick of the draft — gives the 49ers another option beyond Lance, who has made only four starts since he was the No. 3 pick in 2021.
Purdy and Lance will count about $10.2 million combined against the salary cap in 2023. Their relative affordability will make it easier to manage the salary cap during an offseason in which the 49ers likely will sign
All-Pro pass rusher Nick Bosa to an extension that will make him the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player.
Meanwhile, Garoppolo, despite an extensive medical file that includes the season-ending broken foot he suffered Dec. 4, will be one of the headliners of a middling free-agent quarterback class. Garoppolo, 31, who ranks sixth in NFL history in passer rating (99.6), could command at least $30 million annually.
While Lynch and Shanahan made clear they don’t think it’s necessary to invest significant resources in a quarterback beyond Purdy and Lance, the 49ers’ injuries at the position this season raise an obvious question: Don’t they need to guard against another rash of injuries after Lance and Garoppolo combined to miss 20 regularseason games and Purdy and his backup, Josh Johnson, were both injured in the NFC title game?
“It’s unfortunate when quarterbacks get hurt,” Shanahan said, “but you try to have three. Sometimes you bring four into camp. But I don’t think we’re going to start having five or anything like that.”
The news conference ended on a testy note when Shanahan was asked if he bore any responsibility for the quarterback injuries as the play-caller.
Purdy was hurt Sunday when backup tight end Tyler Kroft was assigned to block Pro Bowl pass rusher Haason Reddick, who hit Purdy’s right arm just before he threw. Lance was hurt in September on a designed run between the tackles.
“I think if you looked at the injuries, common sense would answer that question,” Shanahan said. “How have they gotten hurt? I’m sorry, Josh got a concussion when he hit the ground, so that’s the fourth one you’re talking about. I’m sorry our quarterback got his elbow bent backward on a normal dropback pass. I’m sorry, on a dropback pass, someone rolled up on Jimmy’s ankle. And then we have a dual-threat quarterback who got hurt running the ball.”
Shanahan ended by referring to the second half of the NFC title game, when Purdy was forced to re-enter to replace Johnson.
“No quarterbacks got hurt when we had to hand it off the whole second half,” Shanahan said. “So we can look into that.”