Jimmy Garoppolo is injured again, and the 49ers need to look for replacements if they want to keep their Super Bowl hopes afloat. A broken foot will officially sideline Garoppolo for the remainder of the season, after third overall pick Trey Lance suffered a season-ending injury of his own after just two games.
Brock Purdy came in for Garoppolo to secure the win against the Miami Dolphins, and the Niners have signed veteran Josh Johnson. However, those two may not inspire enough confidence to become the starter for the rest of the season. Here are three possible replacements for Jimmy Garoppolo for the rest of the 2022-2023 season.
Ryan Fitzpatrick announced his retirement during the 2022 offseason, but the 40-year-old could very well still have some football left in him. He’s currently an analyst on Thursday Night Football with Amazon Prime, and it’s hard to imagine a potential Super Bowl ring failing to lure him away from the desk if San Francisco wants him. Especially considering he’d only have to play a maximum of nine games to win it all.
If he is signed, the 49ers would be the 10th team for which Fitzpatrick has played and his 18th NFL season. He knows what it takes to win, and would just have to tone down his gunslinger style of play that led Tua Tagovailoa to be both promoted to and demoted from the starting job during his time in Miami. A strong running game, which the 49ers certainly have, makes this a great move for both sides.
Mayfield was just cut by the Panthers on Monday morning. Being that he is on waivers, he would have to clear plenty of teams before the Niners could secure his services. The Houston Texans have first waiver priority, and they are also in need of a quarterback. Also, Mayfield becoming a Texan after the Browns ousted him in favor of Deshaun Watson makes for a good storyline, if that matters to anyone involved.
It is becoming increasingly clear that this 49ers team just needs a decent game manager at quarterback to win games due to the sheer talent on this roster. Mayfield’s 1-5 record this season coupled with just six touchdowns doesn’t sound great. But this team can still make a run if he plays conservatively and limits his turnovers.
Again, San Francisco just needs somebody to play well enough. Garoppolo is far from an elite quarterback, but still got the team seven wins this year. In total, he’s gone 38-17 with a completion rate of under 70 percent in his six seasons there.
Purdy was the very last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, giving him the not-so-coveted title of “Mr. Irrelevant.” That, in itself, makes a good story. But he’s been with the team all year, and certainly knows the playbook better than anyone the team could bring in off of the street or a practice squad.
He played decently last night, passing for 276 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw a pick. He’ll need to clean that up and really get a polish from the coaching staff, but he could very well be the answer here.
Stay tuned for more breaking NFL content, including midseason moves, contract updates and more news from every team.
Featured image courtesy of David Eulitt/Getty Images
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