In a season filled with quarterback injuries, the San Francisco 49ers were inches away from possibly hosting a legendary comeback. Amidst a tumultuous year of switching between four quarterbacks and facing significant setbacks, the 49ers were on the verge of tapping retired quarterback Philip Rivers.
The NFC Championship Game saw the 49ers in dire straits, stripping the matchup of its anticipated thrill. With the number of quarterback injuries they faced, one question remained: what if they had made one last-ditch call?
The chatter in the football community had hinted at the 49ers considering bringing in Philip Rivers after Jimmy Garoppolo sustained a foot injury in Week 13. Rivers, who had played 17 seasons without a Super Bowl appearance, surprisingly might have considered stepping back onto the field had the 49ers progressed to the Super Bowl.
49ers’ coach Kyle Shanahan shed light on this speculation, confirming, “He was prepared to,” as quoted by Nick Wagoner of ESPN. Shanahan continued,
Now that’s stuff we talked about throughout the whole year. We would’ve had to have seen how that was for the Super Bowl, but that was the plan most of the year.
Shanahan had admitted the plan was to bring in Rivers after numerous QB injuries
The string of injuries that plagued the team included Trey Lance’s broken ankle and Garoppolo‘s subsequent foot injury. Matters worsened during the NFC Championship Game with Brock Purdy’s ligament tear and Josh Johnson’s concussion.
Philip Rivers, who has since transitioned to coaching at Fairhope High School in Alabama, touched on the rumors of his return in March. While acknowledging contacts from NFL teams, including after key injuries to the Dolphins’ lineup, he stated, “I heard from a couple of teams, just kind of checking in,” but added,
“I didn’t contact anyone, and I’m not going anywhere. I think maybe some teams, with some guys going down, may have been just looking for a contingency plan.”
The hypothetical comeback of Rivers would have been a captivating storyline in the 49ers’ season saga. Yet, as the pages turned, it remains a tantalizing hypothetical.
