Garoppolo Could Be Cleared 'Around Mid-August,' per Report

As Jimmy Garoppolo continues to progress following his offseason surgery on his right shoulder, there is an expectation that the quarterback could be fully cleared to play by the middle of August, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Garoppolo underwent surgery in March and was initially slated to begin throwing again around July 4. On July 11, Garoppolo’s agent, Don Yee, told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero that his client was “progressing” and “on schedule” in his rehab process. 

While the 49ers quarterback has been throwing for several weeks, the focus for him now becomes how consistently he can make deep passes as well as seeing how his shoulder reacts to the difficulty of a practice or a game. 

Once Garoppolo addresses those concerns, that is when he will be expected to receive full clearance, per Rapoport. Getting full clearance will also play a part in Garoppolo determining where he plays in the 2022 season.

Last Wednesday, Pelissero reported that all signs still pointed to San Francisco trading Garoppolo by the end of July. San Francisco general manager John Lynch was determined to not release Garoppolo as he went through his recovery process.

Garoppolo was excused from the 49ers’ mandatory minicamp in June and is slated to cost the franchise $26.95 million in cap space in 2022. Several teams have been linked to Garoppolo, including the Buccaneers and NFC West rival Seahawks.

However, the potential for a Garoppolo-Tampa Bay deal was shut down on July 11 by Yee, who said the rumors of his client playing for the Buccaneers were false. The possibility for the 30-year-old quarterback playing in Seattle next season remains to be seen.

Garoppolo threw for 3,810 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 68.3% of his passes in 2021. He has also led the 49ers to the NFC title game in two of the the past three seasons but has been unable to lift San Francisco to a Super Bowl victory. 

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