Jimmy Garoppolo, who is being replaced this season as the 49ers’ starting quarterback, officially received medical clearance during a team physical on Tuesday, a league source told NBC Sports Bay Area.
Garoppolo recently also received clearance from an independent doctor after he underwent surgery on March 8 to repair a capsule in his throwing shoulder.
He reported to Santa Clara on Tuesday morning for the opening of training camp and met with general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan before taking his physical in the afternoon.
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“We had a really good discussion, and the good news is he’s feeling great and doing a nice job with his throwing program, the ramp up part of that,” Lynch said. “And that’s exciting to hear.”
Garoppolo was not placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list, clearing the team from a $7.5 million injury guarantee. If the 49ers trade or release Garoppolo before the start of the regular season, the club could immediately clear $25.55 million in salary-cap space.
“I think all three of us are very much on the same page,” Shanahan said. “Jimmy understands where we’re at. We understand where we’re at.”
Lynch said Garoppolo has not requested his release. If a trade does not immediately materialize after his medical clearance, the 49ers could release Garoppolo to allow him to negotiate with any team interested in signing him early in camp to provide him with a better chance to win a starting job.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are fully committed to elevating second-year quarterback Trey Lance to the starting job. The 49ers traded up to No. 3, where Lance was selected in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Garoppolo was given the opportunity to win the job last season as Lance was being groomed to take over this season.
Shanahan labeled the change in quarterback as a “business decision.” Clearly, the 49ers have moved off their public stance that they would be willing to pay Garoppolo his base salary of $24.2 million to serve as an insurance policy.
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Nate Sudfeld is being counted upon to serve as the backup to Lance.
“This is Trey’s team and that’s nothing against Jimmy," Shanahan said. "We made that decision a year ago and we’re going with that and we’re not going to mess around with that anymore."