49ers’ Garoppolo recovering well after major surgery on knee

Associated Press

SANTA CLARA, CALIF.

Jimmy Garoppolo has resumed throwing and taking drop backs as he rehabilitates from a major knee injury that derailed his first full season as San Francisco’s starting quarterback.

The process of coming back is going smoothly and Garoppolo hopes to be able to take part in seven-on-seven drills when the 49ers begin OTAs next month and be fully cleared by the time training camp starts in late July.

Once the season begins Sept. 8 in the opener at Tampa Bay, Garoppolo believes the only difference will be the brace he will wear on his surgically repaired left knee.

“I wore one initially as a rookie,” he said. “Then, I kind of got away from it. I think this year it’s a certainty. But, we’ll see how it goes down the road.”

Garoppolo said he doesn’t believe the brace will impact his mobility a bit since the new ones are so lightweight that it’s almost “like you’re not wearing anything sometimes.”

The 49ers are counting on Garoppolo being back to the player he was when they acquired him during the 2017 season from New England and he won his first five starts with the team to end that season.

He was rewarded with a five-year, $137.5 million contract that offseason to be San Francisco’s franchise quarterback only to go down with the season-ending ACL injury in a Week 3 loss at Kansas City last season.

“I think initially probably was the hardest part, the acceptance of everything,” he said. “The first couple weeks, really, you can’t put any weight on it with the meniscus and all that stuff. Probably the first month or two was the worst. But, after that, you get running and everything and you start to feel like yourself again.”

Garoppolo was helped in his rehab by the fact that running back Jerick McKinnon tore his ACL earlier in September and was a good guide and partner during the process that has continued throughout the offseason.

Garoppolo said it took some time to get the trust back in his knee, but now feels comfortable running and throwing the ball.

“It’s encouraging,” he said. “Every day gets easier and easier. Able to make this throw better than I was a week ago.”