San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is slated to make his first career NFL start in Week 14. Opposite him will be Tom Brady, likely making his 330th start.

"Pretty cool," Purdy said of the matchup, per Peter King of NBC Sports. "The GOAT. He's been playing football longer than I've been alive."

Purdy was born before Brady made his NFL debut, but only barely. The rookie was about four months old when Brady was selected in the sixth round of the 2000 draft, going on to win seven Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A seventh-round pick in 2022, Purdy will hope for a similar trajectory in his NFL career after getting his chance in the spotlight.

Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a season-ending foot injury on Sunday, forcing the 49ers to go further down the depth chart after already losing Trey Lance earlier in the year. Purdy stepped up and threw two touchdown passes in a 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins.

It sets the stage for Purdy to go head to head with arguably the greatest quarterback of all time when the 49ers face the Buccaneers next Sunday.

The San Francisco 49ers are signing quarterback Josh Johnson off the Denver Broncos' practice squad following a season-ending foot injury to Jimmy Garoppolo, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Garoppolo was carted to the locker room in the first quarter of Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins with a broken foot and will undergo surgery.

Garoppolo's injury is a tough break for the 49ers, who are first in the NFC West with an 8-4 record. He had been filling in for 2021 third-overall pick Trey Lance, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks.

With both Garoppolo and Lance now out for the year, the Niners will turn to rookie seventh-round pick Brock Purdy, who saw his most game action of the 2022 campaign on Sunday against the Dolphins.

The Iowa State product completed 25-of-37 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns against one interception. He outdueled Miami's Tua Tagovailoa, who posted three turnovers against the Niners.

Johnson, who is entering his third stint with the 49ers, will likely back up Purdy moving forward.

The 36-year-old was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL draft. He has also played for the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets and Washington Commanders.

In 37 appearances, Johnson has completed 58.1 percent of his passes for 2,270 yards and 13 touchdowns against 16 interceptions. He has also has rushed for 422 yards and one score.

In addition to playing in the NFL, Johnson also had a stint in the Alliance of American Football and the XFL. He played college football at San Diego.

San Francisco has a tough remaining schedule, with matchups against the Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks on tap for the next two weeks.

The San Francisco 49ers are reportedly open to re-signing quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported both sides are keeping an open mind for the future as Garoppolo heads toward free agency.

The 49ers spent the entire offseason attempting to trade Garoppolo but could not find a taker due to his $24.2 million salary and ongoing recovery from shoulder surgery. Garoppolo instead remained in San Francisco on an incentive-laden contract that includes clause preventing the 49ers from using the franchise tag on him.

Trey Lance's season-ending leg injury reopened the door for Garoppolo to take over the reins, and he has played arguably the best football of his career.

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The words "Jimmy Garoppolo sweepstakes" have been written many times before, and they will be written many times still. I also just wrote them now, and might as well do it again: Prepare for the 2023 Jimmy Garoppolo sweepstakes!

Yes, everyone's favorite in-limbo offseason quarterback is destined to hog speculative headlines through the first quarter of the 2023 calendar year as free agency awaits while Trey Lance's ankle recovers.

Lance, of course, remains the San Francisco 49ers' long-term future at the quarterback position. San Francisco gave up far too much for the 22-year-old, 2021 No. 3 overall pick to give up on him just four starts into his NFL career, which means the team will almost certainly —finally—lose Garoppolo.

Granted, that didn't happen last offseason despite the fact Lance was healthy and Jimmy G was featured in trade speculation throughout the spring. Indeed, the 49ers brought him back on a restructured one-year deal, which paid dividends almost immediately when Lance went down with that season-ending injury in September.

But now, Garoppolo is likely to be too expensive to keep around in a projected backup role simply because he's playing too well to be ignored by other teams that would be happy to make him their starter.

In what's becoming a career year at the age of 31, Garoppolo is the NFL's fifth-highest-rated qualified passer. He also ranks third in terms of DYAR (Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement) and DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) at Football Outsiders, and—while he might never be a prototypical gunslinger—he's one of just four qualified quarterbacks with a 112-plus passer rating on third down.

Maybe most importantly, he hasn't committed a single turnover over the course of a four-game winning streak that has moved the 49ers into "prime Super Bowl contender" conversations ahead of a high-profile Week 13 matchup with Tua Tagovailoa and the contending Miami Dolphins.

This week, DraftKings only listed the Philadelphia Eagles with (slightly) better Super Bowl odds than San Francisco in the NFC.

Of course, things could become super awkward if Garoppolo actually leads the 49ers to a Vince Lombardi Trophy. But because the team is loaded with talent and realistically married to Lance, anything short of a championship likely means Garoppolo—who cannot be slapped with the franchise tag again—hits the market after this campaign.

Where might he land? Let's run through some options, from most to least likely landing spot.

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New York Jets

Duh. Jets head coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur came from San Francisco, and Zach Wilson is the league's lowest-rated qualified passer. It might feel early for the Jets to cut bait on Wilson—who was drafted right before Lance in 2021—but we're talking about New York, and patience levels are at an all-time low in this league already. Wilson has already been benched this season, so it's easy to see the Jets swapping him out for the veteran Garoppolo in March.

New York Giants

Daniel Jones has had some moments this season, but we've officially reached a point at which the Giants are contending despite Jones, who has a mere 88.1 passer rating during a 1-3 stretch for Big Blue. Meanwhile, according to Spotrac, only two teams are slated to enter the offseason with more cap space than the G-Men.

Washington Commanders

I think the NFL might be ready to give up on Carson Wentz as a starter, and the Commanders can't possibly be convinced Taylor Heinicke is the solution beyond this season. It's still possible he grabs the reins entirely, but it's just as possible he fails to take over consistently and Washington is left wondering what could have been as a talented defense puts them into contention following a poor start to 2022.

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New Orleans Saints

Jameis Winston just hasn't worked out, and I don't think anyone expects Andy Dalton to remain in the Saints' starting role indefinitely. And this is a team that still has plenty of talent—too much to be 4-8 coming entering December. That has to move them into Garoppolo's realm, but the problem is they are on track to be in salary-cap hell (again). If that's the case, they won't likely be capable of winning any bidding wars for Jimmy G.

Las Vegas Raiders

It hasn't been a good year for veteran Derek Carr, and the Raiders aren't in the mix despite plenty of talent. They just gave Carr a new contract in the 2022 offseason, but the Raiders can save $29.3 million of his $34.9 million projected 2023 cap hit by moving on. And if they do that, it would make a lot of sense to chase Garoppolo. They should have the cash to do it, too.

Indianapolis Colts

It's possible Matt Ryan is one-and-done in Indy, but the Colts have enough talent to remain competitive with a veteran under center. They can also afford to be involved in veteran quarterback sweepstakes, but they might prefer to avoid that route after being burned to various degrees by Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan in 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs won't likely have much money to spend either, but who knows if Tom Brady will be back. And if he isn't, it's entirely possible they coax Brady's former understudy to relieve him with a stellar supporting cast in Florida.

Carolina Panthers

The Baker Mayfield experiment has failed, and Sam Darnold isn't the answer, so it's not out of the realm of possibility. However, a rebuilding team like Carolina that is likely to have a high draft pick might not care to pay for a nine-year veteran.

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Green Bay Packers

If by chance this is Aaron Rodgers' last year in Green Bay, a Packers team looking to save face and bounce back quickly could try to smooth things over with a veteran like Garoppolo.

San Francisco 49ers fans can breathe a sigh of relief because it appears running back Christian McCaffrey will take the field for Sunday's showdown against the Miami Dolphins.

"I feel great," he said Thursday when discussing the knee concerns that could have potentially limited him in the contest, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area.

McCaffrey sat out Wednesday's practice after the early walk-through portion.

"He just felt something in it, some irritation," head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters.

That it appears McCaffrey will play is all the more important for San Francisco considering running back Elijah Mitchell will miss six-to-eight weeks with an MCL sprain he suffered during a win over the New Orleans Saints.

Mitchell also suffered a knee injury during a Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears and didn't return until Week 10 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The 49ers acquired McCaffrey earlier this season in a trade with the Carolina Panthers, adding to a group of weapons that already included Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk. That group, along with a formidable defense, is a major reason why the team has won four games in a row and looks like a Super Bowl contender.

Yet losing McCaffrey and Mitchell from the backfield would greatly decrease the team's ceiling, especially since there may still be questions about Jimmy Garoppolo's ability to win a Lombardi Trophy as a thrower.

Jordan Mason and Tyrion Davis-Price provide depth at the running back position, but neither of them can change a game the way McCaffrey can.

The Stanford product has 634 rushing yards, 479 receiving yards and seven total touchdowns across 11 games for the Panthers and 49ers this season.

The San Francisco 49ers will be without running back Elijah Mitchell once again, as he reportedly suffered a similar injury that caused him to miss eight weeks earlier this season.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Mitchell will miss the next six to eight weeks due to an MCL sprain that forced him to exit Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints in the third quarter. Mitchell suffered an MCL sprain in his right knee in Week 1, but this time the injury was to his left knee.

The first injury forced Mitchell to be sidelined until Week 10, when he returned and registered season highs of 18 carries and 89 yards in a win over the Los Angeles Chargers. In four appearances this season, the 24-year-old has recorded 224 yards on 40 carries with no touchdowns.

With Mitchell out, Christian McCaffrey will get the lion's share of the carries for San Francisco going forward. However, head coach Kyle Shanahan said after Sunday's 13-0 win over New Orleans that McCaffrey was slowed by "knee irritation" after he finished with 11 rushes for 32 yards.

Rookie running back Jordan Mason saw more action on Sunday after Mitchell exited the game, posting 25 yards on five carries. He will likely have an increased role along with fellow rookie Tyrion Davis-Price, who was a healthy scratch against the Saints. The two of them can be expected to split the backup duties behind McCaffrey.

The 49ers (7-4) have won four straight games to move into first place in the NFC West. San Francisco has used its stonewall defense to stifle opponents, giving up under 20 points in each one of its last four wins.

In Week 13, the 49ers will try to keep their streak alive when the Miami Dolphins (8-3) visit the Bay Area on Sunday afternoon.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo called out New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Malcolm Roach for a low hit in Sunday's 13-0 victory.

“It is football but, we've got to be smart as players, look out for one another,” Garoppolo told reporters after the game. “There’s no place for that. I’m alright. A little sore, but nothing bad. As players, we need to be smart for one another.”

Roach was called for roughing the passer for hitting a defenseless quarterback at his knee. Garoppolo laid on the field in pain and was seemingly about to be taken out of the game for backup Brock Purdy, but he was able to remain in the game. He finished with 222 yards and a touchdown in the defensive slugfest.

“I was staying in the game,” Garoppolo said. “I knew what type of game it was. That’s what it was all day. That wasn’t the only hit that was questionable like that. Throughout the whole game it was like that, but that’s football. It was a gritty game.”

Garoppolo previously tore the ACL in the same knee Roach hit during the 2018 season.

Garoppolo initially began the 2022 campaign as Trey Lance's backup, but the second-year signal-caller suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2, allowing Garoppolo to resume the starting role.

The 31-year-old underwent surgery on his right shoulder in March and, after rehabbing, passed his physical with the 49ers in July. They had hoped to trade him over the summer, but teams became less interested in making a trade due to his shoulder surgery.

San Francisco committed to 2021 third overall pick Trey Lance as its starting quarterback before training camp began and made Garoppolo available for trade again.

Garoppolo has been with the 49ers since October 2017, when the New England Patriots traded him to San Francisco in exchange for a 2018 second-round draft pick.

His best season came in 2019, when he completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 3,978 yards and 27 touchdowns against 13 interceptions in 16 games. He led the team to a 13-3 finish and a Super Bowl berth.

Garoppolo's only other full season came in 2021, when he completed 68.3 percent of his passes for 3,810 yards and 20 touchdowns against 12 interceptions in 15 games. He went 9-6 in those games and eventually led the team to a place in the NFC Championship Game, where they fell to the Los Angeles Rams.

In 2017, 2018 and 2020, Garoppolo didn't appear in more than six games as he struggled with injuries.

Through 10 games this season. Garoppolo has completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 2,381 yards and 16 touchdowns against four interceptions. The 49ers are leading the NFC West at 7-4.

San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell left Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints with a knee injury and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed after his team's 13-0 win that Mitchell may have a sprained MCL.

The 24-year-old was forced to exit San Francisco's season-opening loss to the Chicago Bears because of the same injury to his right knee, and he returned in Week 10. In his first three games, he ran for 189 yards on 33 carries.

Mitchell had reasonably high expectations into 2021 after a productive rookie campaign. He ran for 963 yards and five touchdowns and caught 19 passes for 137 yards and one score in 11 games.

Losing the Louisiana product was a tough blow for the Niners because depth at running back was already a problem coming into the year.

"There's not just like a store where you can go get quarterbacks anytime...or running backs."

Kyle Shanahan speaking truths on his conference call.

— Jennifer Lee Chan - also bluesky @jenniferleechan (@jenniferleechan) September 19, 2022

Trey Lance's season-ending injury took away what was another dimension to the rushing attack as well.

All of the injuries led the 49ers to acquire Christian McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers.

Mitchell's return allowed the Niners to lessen the burden on McCaffrey, but the 2019 All-Pro will once again have to become the lead option on the ground.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters quarterback Trey Lance likely won't return from a broken ankle for the playoffs even though his rehab is going well.

"I haven't been told there's a chance, so I think things would have to be pretty drastic," Shanahan said. "We weren't expecting that much from the beginning. I think he's right on schedule with everything, but I've not been told there's a chance."

At 6-4, the 49ers are currently tied with the Seattle Seahawks for first place in the NFC West. Should the team reach the postseason, it doesn't appear as though Shanahan is planning on having Lance as an option as the backup.

Lance's 2022 season came to an abrupt end. He suffered an ankle fracture in San Francisco's 27-7 Week 2 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, which required surgery and ruled him out for the rest of the year.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport followed up to report the 22-year-old would need four to six months to make a full recovery.

Lance's injury meant handing the keys to the offense back to Jimmy Garoppolo. For some, it was a lateral move and perhaps even a short-term upgrade to the passing game.

But the long-term implications of the injury presented plenty of concern.

Lance made one start in 2020 at North Dakota State after the FCS shifted to a spring schedule because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, he'll be entering his third year in the NFL with just eight appearances under his belt.

It's impossible to know now how much Lance's development has been thrown off course and whether he can assert himself as the 49ers' franchise quarterback.