San Francisco 49ers Rumors: Team Ready To Move On From Kaepernick?
By Kevin Saito
A couple of seasons ago, to think that Colin Kaepernick wouldn’t be the face of the San Francisco 49ers for a long time to come would have been almost unbelievable. But that was coming off a season in which Kaepernick led the 49ers to a 12-4 record, threw for almost 3,200 yards, touchdowns, and within a hair’s breadth – or rather, a Richard Sherman finger length – of the Super Bowl.
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Of course, a lot has changed since then.
Gone is the head coach who trusted, groomed, and believed in Kaepernick. Following a diastrous 8-8 season in 2014, in which San Francisco’s offensive juggernaut seemed stuck in the mud, and its defense couldn’t seem to stop anybody from scoring, the 49ers front office led by GM Trent Baalke, ran Jim Harbaugh out of town on a rail.
The rift between Baalke and Harbaugh was widely known, and no doubt, had an incredibly adverse impact on the 49ers locker room. Baalke can and should be held every bit as responsible for the debacle that was San Francisco’s 2014 season as Harbaugh has been. Unfortunately, Baalke held on to his job while a coach who led the 49ers back to relevance was sent packing.
The only upside is that now the successes or failures of the 49ers reside solely on Baalke’s shoulders, as he is the sole architect of the club. What? Do you really believe that Jim Tomsula is allowed to think independently?
Which brings us back to Colin Kaepernick.
Back in March, Jayson Braddock who hosts a local radio show down in Houston Tweeted out that one of his sources told him that Kaepernick was definitely up on the block.
Now, you might be tempted to dismiss this rumor since it is in fact, a couple of months old. But this rumor might actually still have a little life left in it. After all, we’re nowhere near the start of the regular season, so a lot of different things can still happen.
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And one of those things that could happen is that San Francisco brings in another young quarterback, perhaps one who is a bit more — conventional. Perhaps he’s somebody that Tomsula is familiar with, and somebody who has some connections to the 49ers roster already.
Oh wait, didn’t they already do that?
Indeed they did. San Francisco signed an intriguing prospect and somebody they’re “excited about” in former South Carolina quarterback Dylan Thompson. The undrafted free agent is currently projected to be behind Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert on the depth chart, but we all know that roster projections made in May bear very little resemblance to the final 53-man rosters.
But in what seemed like an innocuous article that appeared in the San Jose Mercury News recently, you couldn’t help but get the sense that maybe the 49ers brought Thompson in to be a little more than just a camp arm. And a quick Google search shows multiple articles about Thompson, across several days, giving the impression that the 49ers’ brass is talking about him. A lot.
When asked about Thompson, who was the lone quarterback at 49ers rookie camp, Tomsula said:
"“He’s a collective individual. You talk to him and he’s got the intangibles. Then you watch the tape. This guy can throw the football around. We’re excited about him.”"
It’s not often you have a coaching staff as excited about an undrafted free agent they don’t expect to be around when the final cuts are made as San Francisco’s coaching staff seems to be about Thompson.
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At 6’3” and 218 lbs., and possessing terrific arm strength, Thompson has all of the physical tools you’d want in a quarterback. And as the signal caller at South Carolina, his 3,564 passing yards led the SEC. He also tossed 26 touchdowns, showing that in a very tough conference, he can be counted on to make smart decisions and make plays.
And of course, Tomsula believes in addition to the physical skills, he also has the “intangibles” an NFL quarterback needs.
And let’s not forget the connections to the current 49ers roster that Thompson already has – TE Rory Anderson was San Francisco’s seventh round pick in this year’s draft. In addition to Anderson, San Francisco’s second year wideout Bruce Ellington and rookie running back Mike Davis were also both teammates of Thompson.
If you believe in conspiracies, it’s interesting to note that San Francisco has a number of former Gamecocks at the skill positions – perhaps adding a former South Carolina quarterback to the mix might be the key piece in this young nucleus of offensive talent in San Francisco.
Kaepernick is not Tomsula’s guy. And Baalke seems to want to get rid of the remaining ties to Harbaugh. Kaepernick has a long term deal with the team, but it’s structured in a way that allows the 49ers to essentially jettison him at any point with minimal financial impact. Add to that mix, the fact that Kaepernick seemed to regress as a quarterback last season – and that only adds to the concerns San Francisco already has about his abilities and long term viability as the team’s QB.
Tomsula and Baalke both deny the trade rumors. But then, what would you expect them to say? If they let it be known they’re shopping him, and a trade partner cannot be found, it would create something of an awkward and uncomfortable situation in San Francisco.
Whatever happens, the 49ers – meaning Baalke and Tomsula – don’t seem convinced that Kaepernick is the long term solution under center. If they aren’t able to trade him, would they sit him down in favor of one of Tomsula’s guys? Somebody like Dylan Thompson — somebody they’re “very excited about” and somebody they think may be a better fit in their system?
Given how badly Baalke seems to want to put his stamp on the organization and prove that he’s the smartest guy in San Francisco, we can’t say it’s outside the realm of possibility.