While the San Francisco 49ers are busy searching for their new head coach, Colin Kaepernick is waiting to hear what his future holds. The quarterback who is signed to a contract that makes him the franchise star was benched for Blaine Gabbert before ending his season on injured reserve for a shoulder injury. Now after suffering yet another injury heading into the offseason, will the 49ers make a trade of Kaepernick a priority moving forward?
According to general manager Trent Baalke via the San Jose Mercury News, Kaepernick is also dealing with a torn ligament in his right thumb while also healing his surgically repaired shoulder. The quarterback is also dealing with a left knee issue that might require surgery as Kaepernick continues to undergo MRI's on various injuries this offseason. While this is normal for NFL players, these reports will not be kind to the 49ers if they attempt to trade him in the offseason.
If Kaepernick is on the roster come April 1, his salary for 2016 becomes fully guaranteed. That puts the 49ers in a tough spot. They must either try and rush a trade before the injury reports get worse for the quarterback or simply release him and eat money on the salary cap. According to Baalke, he is not concentrating on the April 1 date with Kaepernick and is more concerned with seeing how healthy the quarterback can get in the coming months.
"I'm not worried about April 1, to be honest with you," Baalke said, via the San Jose Mercury News. "I'm more worried about getting him healthy and ready for the offseason program. Whatever that date is that the medical staff steps up and says he's ready to go, that's when he'll go."
Early reports following the benching of the quarterback said that Kaepernick was all-but gone from the 49ers this offseason. However, will that be really be the case? According to ESPN's Paul Gutierrez, there is a chance Kaepernick survives the rebuilding of the franchise. A lot could depend on the who becomes the net head coach. Team CEO Jed York told the media that the head coach is going to do most of the evaluating of the roster and could determine Kaepernick's fate. If that coach is Chip Kelly, Kaepernick could be safe. If that coach is someone like Tom Coughlin then the quarterback could be out.
"I love Colin," York said, via ESPN.com. "He's been a great piece of this team for a long time. He has certainly helped us get to the level of success that we've had. I'm not going to make any decisions on players. A new head coach is going to come in here. He's going to evaluate the roster."
The 49ers will need to determine how deep their faith is in Blaine Gabbert and whether or not they think a rookie is an upgrade over either quarterback. The 49ers will draft at No.7 this year. That could land them a top quarterback like Jared Goff, Christian Hackenberg or Paxton Lynch. They could easily keep Gabbert at his affordable price and develop a rookie talent while letting Kaepernick head elsewhere. One thing is clear, if the 49ers want to trade Kaepernick, the injury reports are not being kind to his current value.
