Colin Kaepernick took Alex Smith's starting job away from him in San Francisco, but that did not stop the former starter from being a good teammate to the young star.
According to ESPN.com, Kaepernick was speaking in an interview with NFL Network and he had nothing but good things to say about his former teammate with the 49ers. Smith was traded over the week in deal to the Kansas City Chiefs for two draft picks, including the number 34 pick in the second round in April's upcoming draft.
The deal won't be official until March 12, but the trade has been confirmed by both ESPN and Fox Sports and is basically all set.
"Of course, nothing can be finalized yet. Whether Alex is with us or he's somewhere else next season, he's been a great teammate to me," Kaepernick said.. "[He's] been a great friend, a great mentor. So anywhere he goes, or if he's still with us, he's gonna be successful."
Kaepernick became a star after Smith suffered a concussion and he took the starting job after coach Jim Harbaugh felt the team was best with him at the helm. Kaepernick was in his second year out of Nevada when he was thrust into the starting role and Smith was benched after going 6-2-1 to start the season.
Smith went down in Week 10 and after coming in for him in that game, Harbaugh placed Kaepernick as the starter the next week against the Bears and continued all the way through the playoffs and the Super Bowl. Smith was completing over 70 percent of his passes, but Harbaugh felt that Kaepernick gave the team the best chance to win. Kaepernick said that Smith gave him lots of advice during the season as well as the playoffs.
"I think the biggest thing with Alex is he was always in my ear, making sure I was seeing the defense," Kaepernick said. "Did I see safeties do this? Did I see the rotation? Did I see things like that? [He was] just making sure I have mental clarity when I step on the field."
Kaepernick led the 49ers to the Super Bowl after defeating the Green Bay Packers and the Atlanta Falcons in the playoffs and he gave the team an added dimension to its offense in the postseason. Kaepernick set a record against the Packers for rushing yards by a quarterback in a game and he passed for 798 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 264 yards and three scores in the playoffs.