Colin Kaepernick has come under fire this whole week as many believe his future is in serious question as the San Francisco 49ers continue to struggle on the year. The quarterback is shouldering all of the blame as he and the offense have failed to do much of anything so far. Head coach Jim Tomsula made it clear that Kaepernick is not being replaced by Blaine Gabbert while the quarterback said he has no concerns about job security.
Kaepernick is not worried about whether or not he is at risk of losing his job in the Bay Area. The quarterback looked strong in Week 1, but has regressed since then as the offense remains stalled entering Week 5 against the New York Giants. With little options behind him, it makes sense that Tomsula would declare Kaepernick safe from benching. The quarterback does not seem too concerned about his job status.
"I don't play for job security," Kaepernick said, via ESPN.com. "Whether football is here or not, I will be fine. I go out; I play to win. I'm not worried about job security when I step in this building. Just play to win. If something happens, it happens. But we have to go out and make sure we're making plays."
According to ESPN's Paul Gutierrez, Kaepernick's team-friendly contract could be a big dictator in what his future holds. The quarterback may have signed a $126 million extension in 2014, but much of that contract does not become guaranteed until April 1. If the 49ers were to part ways with Kaepernick after the season, they save $9.36 million in cap space. The only guaranteed money the quarterback is really getting is $61 million in injury protection. If he continues on this downward slide, a release could be the outcome in the end.
For now, the quarterback is focused on trying to improve which means getting his connection better with Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith. At the moment, there is a chance that Kaepernick could be without Quinton Patton and Vernon Davis who are both dealing with injuries. That means Boldin and Smith become very important as the three have not been connecting all season.
Both Boldin and Smith showed their frustrations following the loss to Green Bay. Smith told the media that he was embarrassed by the performance while Boldin declined to speak to the media altogether. Kaepernick is aware that he and the receivers must improve if the offense is going to get anything going.
"It's something, we constantly talk," Kaepernick said, via ESPN.com. "We're trying to figure our timing out. How we want to run routes. Get on the same page with some of those things because there were times that we're not on the same page. And those are things that we're working to fix."
Pressure also falls on Carlos Hyde who has been quiet since the start of the season. Hyde put up 168 yards in the season opener, but managed just 71 yards over the past two games. Kaepernick will need the run game going up against the improved secondary of the Giants.
