Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday verified that there’s been a remarkable reversal in the prognosis for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who fractured his left foot in the 49ers’ win over Miami. But he also attempted to temper Tuesday’s report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, which suggested Garoppolo could return in seven to eight weeks — during a potential 49ers’ playoff run.
“It’s not a Lisfranc (injury),” Shanahan said. “They don’t have to do surgery on it. So it’ll be a big recovery, but much less than what we anticipated. Which is awesome news for him in the offseason. He’ll be good to go right away, so it won’t be like last year.
“There’s that way outside chance, late in the playoffs, something like that, but it’s just an outside chance. We’re not really real optimistic about that, but they didn’t rule it out.”
What’s the most likely recovery timeline for Garoppolo, based on the information available? Can the 49ers do anything to speed the process up? Since the timeframe of Schefter’s report coincides directly with the playoffs — the divisional round and conference title are seven and eight weeks away, respectively — every subtlety is of the essence.
In an attempt to answer some lingering questions and better illustrate the dynamics behind the changing diagnoses for Garoppolo over the past several days, The Athletic spoke with Dr. Eric Giza over the phone on Tuesday.
Giza is the chief of the UC Davis Orthopedic Surgery department’s foot and ankle service. He’s worked and done research with Dr. Robert Anderson, one of the most renowned foot and ankle specialists for professional athletes in the United States. Giza provided knowledge that’s helped put Shanahan’s points regarding Garoppolo’s foot in better context.