Justin Smithconceded last week that he's risking a full tear of his left triceps by playing through the injury. He has just four more quarters of football before that risk is averted.
NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported Monday, via a source informed of Smith's injury, that the San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman has surgery lined up for a few days after Super Bowl XLVII, whether the tear expands or not.
Rapoport reported that Smith is expected to miss most, if not all, of the 49ers' offseason program.
Smith has played two games with a brace that protects his triceps. He's getting accustomed to the limited range of motion.
"I can do more stuff every week," Smith told reporters Sunday. "I think it heals up, obviously, as more time goes by and it's feeling better."
Smith, predictably, has been less dominant since the injury, but he still has drawn enough double teams to allow Aldon Smith to rack up five quarterback hurries apiece against the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons in a pair of playoff victories.
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