On Dec. 4, 2022, quarterback Josh Johnson, then a member of the Denver Broncos' practice squad, was traveling home with the team after a road game in Baltimore.
"One of my teammates was sitting next to me and told me Jimmy [Garoppolo] got hurt," Johnson told ESPN. "He was like, 'You about to go to the Niners, bro.' And I'm like, 'Man, hell no.'"
Nearly 2,500 miles away, on the opening drive against the Miami Dolphins, Garoppolo, the San Francisco 49ers' starter at the time, was carted off the field.