49ers' Jimmy Garoppolo Could Miss 4-6 Weeks with Ankle Injury; May Need Surgery

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's high-ankle sprain suffered Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks may require surgery, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. 

ESPN's Nick Wagoner reported Shanahan said the injury is worse than the QB's previous sprain of the same ankle that limited him after Week 2. The prognosis calls for a four-to-six-week recovery; however, surgery would end Garoppolo's season.

Garoppolo's season has been plagued by injuries, leading to a less-than-stellar NFC title defense after representing the conference in the Super Bowl last year. 

In six games, the 29-year-old has passed for 1,096 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions with a 67.1 completion percentage. Yet he's gone just 3-3 as a starter while the Niners fell to 4-4 and last in the NFC West. 

Additional injuries to tight end George Kittle (broken foot) and wideout Deebo Samuel (hamstring) have left San Francisco on the verge of a lost season. Kittle is expected to miss eight weeks—if not the remainder of the season—while the Niners already ruled out Samuel for Week 9 against the Green Bay Packers. Add to that a depleted run game that will be without Raheem Mostert, Tevin Coleman and Jeff Wilson Jr. this week, and the 49ers offense could be in for a long day.

Nick Mullens will take over as the starting quarterback with Garoppolo on injured reserve and limited weapons at his disposal.

The Southern Miss product is 1-1 as a starter this year with 852 yards, four touchdowns and three picks. The Niners have also used backup C.J. Beathard twice this season, though he remains behind Mullens on the depth chart. 

Garoppolo has two seasons left on his contract and is expected to earn a base salary of at least $24.1 million each year until hitting free agency in 2023.