The Facts: Following up on a previous item. ... A season-ending ACL injury in Week 3 kept the Niners quarterback out of our sights and minds. Last we heard of the signal-caller, HC Kyle Shanahan intimated in October that Garoppolo would be ready to go by organized team activities. Three months later, that prognosis remains the same, this time delivered by Niners GM John Lynch. "We're hopeful he's going to get to take part in our OTAs," Lynch told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. "That's the plan, and he hasn't had any setbacks, so he's doing really well. I'm really proud of him too."

Diehards Line: As previously noted, Garoppolo and RB Jerick McKinnon, San Francisco's two big offseason signings who both suffered season-ending knee injuries, have been working together. According to Lynch, the two competing in rehab to out-recover one another. "Jimmy is vigorously trying to catch Jet, who is trying to separate from Jimmy, and so there's competition going on as well," Lynch told Rapoport. "I think both those guys will tell you that's really helped them, (having) somebody to go through it with. It's fun. ..." Garoppolo has started just 10 career games and eight in San Francisco. After New England traded him cross-country ahead of the 2017 trade deadline, Garoppolo's five stellar starts, all wins, earned him a five-year, $137.5 million extension. Whether Jimmy G was worth the investment depends on how he recovers from ACL surgery and plays in a full 16-game slate. We'll be watching that recovery closely in the months ahead.