Baalke: 49ers to Keep Kaepernick
Kaepernick's last chance?
While speaking to reporters at the NFL combine on Wednesday, Trent Baalke stated that he expected Colin Kaepernick to be on the 49ers roster in 2016.
The media had been speculating that the 49ers could cut Kaepernick before April 1st, when his $11.9 million salary would become fully guaranteed. There were also rumors that Kaepernick was unhappy with the 49ers and that he wanted to be traded to the New York Jets, of all teams. Baalke stated "Well, once again, I don't know where that's coming from. The last time we talked to Colin, Colin was excited."
Indeed, once again it's difficult to know where the truth lies. Like a big Italian deli sandwich, the meat of the matter may lie somewhere in between. The media has its narrative and pulls stories together that prey upon speculation and it sells because a large contingency of the fan base wouldn't mind seeing Kaepernick let go, and the rumors spread and gain traction. Maybe there is some truth that Kaepernick is frustrated and the Niners were looking at potential trades or even cutting him before April 1st, but at the end of the day we simply don't know what really is in that sandwich.
The truth of the matter is that $11.9 million is a reasonable price to pay for a guy who has proven before that he has a lot of upside potential. I believe he can reach those heights again with a new head coach, Chip Kelly, who may be one of the smartest offensive football minds. From what I've seen, Kaepernick appears to be the perfect fit for a Chip Kelly offense and the ability to have a dual threat QB is exactly what Chip Kelly desires, something he hasn't had before in the NFL.
Baalke alluded to this today saying, "I think if you look at the quarterbacks that Coach (Kelly) has had, he hasn't had a bunch of guys that can run, and he's been able to put together some pretty good offenses with guys that aren't able to run. You get an extra advantage of having a quarterback that can run so I think if you talk to any coordinator they're going to take that as a positive. But it's not a necessity."
At the end of the day if it doesn't pan out this season for Kaepernick and Kelly, then they can easily let Kaepernick go in the offseason. It just doesn't make sense to not give it a chance. I think a big reason the 49ers went with Chip Kelly was because they still wanted to see Kaepernick succeed. They weren't willing to give up on a guy who took them to a Super Bowl and an NFC Championship game in back to back seasons, which led to a mega $120 million deal. They know he can pull it off with the right supporting cast, and in my mind, it would be a very bad decision to give up on that before allowing a great coach and a talented QB the chance to work together.
Baalke also suggested that there was no guarantee that Kaepernick would be the starter and that he will compete for the job with Blaine Gabbert. While there may be a informal "competition", for all intents and purposes, this means that Kaepernick will likely be the starter come week 1. Sitting Kaepernick on the bench to start the season would be another bad move. They have to ride with Kaepernick and see if he can improve with Kelly. They can go to Blaine Gabbert at any time, but to start the season with Blaine would just create more problems for Kaepernick and essentially end his time with the Niners.
Whether you're a fan of Kaepernick or not, it looks like we're getting closer to a final answer on whether or not he can regain his elite form with the 49ers.
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