ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday that San Francisco 49ers' quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is "out indefinitely" with a high-ankle sprain, one that has bothered him for much of the 2020 season.
It may be a stretch to say that Garoppolo has made his final start with the 49ers - the team still has eight games left and while not impossible, neither Nick Mullens or C.J. Beathard is likely to seize the starting job. If Garoppolo can come back in December and the 49ers are still in the NFC postseason race, he probably would give Kyle Shanahan's team their best shot to win games.
Still, you get the feeling that Garoppolo's time as the 49ers' franchise quarterback is waning. After an underwhelming performance in the team's postseason run a year ago, general manager John Lynch acknowledged that the 49ers did consider pursuing Tom Brady in free agency, but ultimately chose to move forward with Garoppolo. This upcoming offseason figures to be different.
The 49ers have been ravished by injuries in 2020, so the team being at 4-4 can hardly be blamed solely on Garoppolo. Star edge rusher Nick Bosa tore his ACL in Week 2. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel has played in just four games this season. Superstar tight end George Kittle may not play again this season per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network because he has a small foot fracture.
After blowing a 10-point fourth quarter lead in Super Bowl LIV, the 49ers have absolutely been hit by the Super Bowl hangover - and injuries - that tend to catch up with the team that lost on the sport's biggest stage in the prior season.
Still, the 49ers are in the deepest division in the sport, one that includes Russell Wilson, arguably the best player in the sport currently. In his second season with the Arizona Cardinals, former No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray looks like a superstar in the making. Injuries - beyond just Garoppolo - have decimated the team in 2020, but it's unlikely that trend will carry over into future seasons. Wilson and Murray, though, aren't going anywhere, a reminder that the 49ers need a difference-maker at the position.
Garoppolo is in year three of a five-year/$137.5 million deal, but all of his $74.1 million guaranteed will be paid off after this season. If the 49ers keep Garoppolo under his current deal for the 2021 season, he would carry a $26.9 million cap hit. However, they could trade or release Garoppolo and take on just a $2.8 million dead cap hit, an extremely manageable amount.
The 49ers aren't going to be in position to draft Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence or Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. We'll see what happens with North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance, but the 49ers probably won't be able to obtain him either. From here, pursuing a trade for Matthew Stafford or Sam Darnold may be their best path forward.
While we can't be certain who the 49ers' starting quarterback will be in Week 1 of the 2021 season, it's fair to assume it may not be someone they currently employ. And if the organization does make a decision to go in another direction, it would be pretty easy to move on from Garoppolo.
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