PHILADELPHIA — After both 49ers quarterbacks left the game due to injuries in the club’s 31-7 NFC Championship loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Jimmy Garoppolo stood helplessly on the sidelines, wishing his timeline was for the return previously.
“I wish I had a helmet,” Garoppolo told NBC Sports Bay Area before exiting the locker room at Lincoln Financial Field.
The veteran quarterback then somberly went on to Dr. John York and his wife Denise hugged each other and expressed their appreciation for everything they had done for him. As Garoppolo walked away, he told the team owners, “Everything will work out.”
Garoppolo was close to returning to practice in the week before the NFC Championship game but didn’t progress far enough to join the team on the field. Even if the 31-year-old had a week of training under his belt, the likelihood that he would have been active on matchday is questionable given the 43-man limit of active matchday players.
The league changed the third quarterback rule in 2010, allowing a team to draw an extra quarterback along with their starter and backup. If the third quarterback came into play in the first three quarters, the other two would be barred from returning to the field.
The official terminology of the old third quarterback rule:
“Teams will be allowed one active roster of 45 players and one inactive roster of eight players for each regular-season and postseason game. Provided that a club has two quarterbacks on its 45-player active roster, a third quarterback from its inactive roster may dress for the game, but if he enters the game during the first three quarters, the other two quarterbacks may not dress thereafter to play.”
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The 49ers could have used a healthy Garoppolo on the field Sunday, but unfortunately he wasn’t available.
What the future holds for the play-caller, who has guided the team to two NFC championships and a Super Bowl LIV appearance, is uncertain. As Garoppolo’s journey has shown, his possible return to the organization should never be ruled out.
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