San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Tuesday that the high ankle injury quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo suffered in Sunday’s loss against the Seattle Seahawks was “essentially a whole new one, just on the same foot.”
The coach continued, saying that it was more serious than the sprain he suffered in Week 2 against the New York Jets and that he may require season-ending surgery.
The quarterback, who turned 29 on Nov. 2, is in the process of gathering multiple medical opinions before deciding if he’ll need surgery.
“When you have those high ankle sprains, you re-injure them a lot,” Shanahan said. “But it was different the way that he did it, so it’s basically doing it all over again in a different way. … Whatever’s best for him, long-term, is obviously what we’ll decide on. But if he does need the surgery, then it’ll be all year; if not, then hoping six weeks, get a chance to get back at the end.”
Shanahan said he did not “regret bringing him back any of the times,” and wasn’t “risking injury by going further with it.” Garoppolo was able to play two more weeks after the 43-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 11, reportedly being healthier each game, before getting re-injured on Nov. 1.
Garoppolo will be placed on injured reserve for the foreseeable future alongside George Kittle, who fractured his foot.
The 49ers have a short turnaround with hosting the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night. Nick Mullens will start at QB with Ross Dwelley likely to step in for Kittle, per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. Kickoff is slated for 8:20 p.m. ET.
