GETTY 49ers tight end George Kittle is amped up on the sideline.
The San Francisco 49ers aren’t sure which quarterback is playing on Sunday, but George Kittle is ready no matter what.
Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a sprained UCL thumb ligament, and there were initial concerns that the 29-year-old QB wouldn’t play in this Sunday’s Week 17 clash against the Houston Texans. However, Garoppolo has since come out and said he’s “feel confident” that he can play in Sunday’s home game.
If he doesn’t, rookie Trey Lance will make his second start of the season.
Kittle went on local radio station 95.7 The Game on Tuesday to update his feelings on the QB situation in Santa Clara. The star tight end opened up about both Jimmy G and Lance, saying that he’s been impressed with the rookie since he’s arrived with the 49ers.
“I will say this about Trey: I think Trey has matured a lot over the course of the season,” Kittle said. “I can kind of see the difference between OTAs to training camp to this last month. I know Coach [Kyle] Shanahan said he thinks Trey’s done a really good job on scout team. I would second that.”
Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch elected to look toward the future in the 2021 NFL Draft with Trey Lance. Taken at the third overall spot, the 49ers now have their quarterback of the future.
“Trey was at practice today,” Kittle continued. “It was fun to play with Trey. I’m confident in him, and I don’t really have any doubts. I think he’s a hell of a football player. I’m just excited to see whatever comes this Sunday. Whether it’s Trey, whether it’s Jimmy, I think it’s going to work itself out.”
ALL the latest 49ers news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on 49ers newsletter here!
Kittle Responds to Garoppolo’s ‘Confident’ Comment
Kittle went on to name which quarterback he thinks will lead the team out at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday. The tight end thinks Garoppolo isn’t lying when he says he’s “confident” he can play.
“We have a long time until Sunday,” Kittle said. “So however Jimmy feels, Jimmy’s a very tough individual. He can play through a lot of things. My expectations are that Jimmy will be on the field on Sunday. There’s a lot of time for healing and swelling to go away, or whatever needs to happen to happen. Like I said, Jimmy’s dealt with a lot and played through a lot, and we’ll just see how the week takes us.”
It makes sense that Kittle believes in Garoppolo. Kittle’s rise to an elite tight end in the NFL has coincided with Jimmy G’s time with the Niners, and the receiving threat has seen Garoppolo overcome multiple injury setbacks over the past few years.
However, Garoppolo didn’t have a rookie like Lance waiting to step up in previous years.
Garoppolo Updated Status for Sunday
When Garoppolo spoke to the 49ers media on Tuesday, initial reports of a UCL thumb tear and a fracture made it seem unlikely he could return. However, the quarterback revealed that the first reports of the injury were a bit exagerrated.
After all, he did continue playing in the 20-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 16 after the injury occurred.
“I played the entire game with it basically. It’s really about being able to grip the ball and doing the things I normally do and we’re going to test those out today and see how it feels, then go from there. But yeah, I feel confident in it,” Garoppolo said.
“I played the entire game with it basically… I feel confident in it.”
-Jimmy Garoppolo on his thumb injury
Garoppolo also revealed exactly how the injury came about.
“He hip-tossed me with my thumb,” Garoppolo said. “And then I landed on my thumb on top of that. So it was the perfect storm for a thumb injury.”
Athletic reporter David Lombardi included a clip of the moment the injury happened.
Before the conspiracy theories get too wild, here’s video of Jimmy Garoppolo favoring his thumb immediately after Denico Autry slammed him into the turf late in 2Q. Garoppolo also appeared to mention the injury to Tom Compton immediately after it happened