The San Francisco 49ers make it official: Jimmy Garoppolo is will be starting against the Indianapolis Colts while Trey Lance remains sidelined.
Earlier this week, reports emerged that Jimmy Garoppolo would be the likely starter for the 49ers’ Sunday Night Football matchup versus the Indianapolis Colts.
On Friday afternoon, Ian Rapoport affirmed this assumption, declaring that Garoppolo and his calf are officially off the injury report. The fourth-year 49ers quarterback is the confirmed starter agains the Colts, while rookie quarterback Trey Lance remains out with a knee injury.
Jimmy Garoppolo becomes the official starter over Trey Lance in Week 7
Over the past three weeks, Garoppolo has been steadily recovering from a calf contusion suffered during a Week 3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
“It sucked,” Garoppolo said after the Seahawks game. “I mean, just in between series, I could feel it tightening up and everything. I thought I could gut it out, tried to for the first half but it’s just tough, man. I don’t know. Been in this situation too many times, it’s getting real old. So, just one of those things that’s part of the business.”
The injury was concerning for Garoppolo, who has dealt with various injuries throughout his career with the 49ers. According to DraftSharks, Garoppolo entered 2021 with a 21 percent chance of injury and a durability score of three out of five. He missed nearly all of 2018 with an ACL tear, played an NFC Championship season, then missed the majority of 2020 with a recurring high ankle sprain.
Trading for Garoppolo has proven difficult for the 49ers, who have spent nearly a full two seasons without their franchise quarterback. It’s not just the injuries, either: Garoppolo’s throws are statistically “bad”, while former teammate Martellus Bennett shamed him for not holding his weight at quarterback in New England.
Ideally, Garoppolo can stay healthy, perform well and maintain the starting job while Lance recovers and learns under his tutelage over the next few seasons. But considering San Francisco’s injury curses with quarterbacks, perhaps they’ll continue to regret passing over Mac Jones and even Brady for Garoppolo and Lance.