Maybe the 49ers aren't giving up on Colin Kaepernick this season after all. On NFL Network's GameDay Morning Sunday, Ian Rapoport reported San Francisco expects Kaepernick to start again in 2015. His benching is supposed to be a temporary change instead of a permanent demotion.
Colin Kaepernick is expected to start again this season, but what about next year?
At least according to one report, the 49ers view his benching as a temporary measure, even though his future in San Francisco has never been more uncertain.
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
That seems to coincide with comments head coach Jim Tomsula made this week. Tomsula said the decision to bench Kaepernick in favor of backup Blaine Gabbert was intended to help him regain his composure.
“This was just a decision that I just felt like I wanted Colin to step back and breathe and look at things through a different lens,” Tomsula said. “Keep preparing, keep doing his thing, keep working, but just step back. Take a look at things. That’s what I want.”
Kaepernick didn’t take kindly to that characterization, though. He said that he didn’t understand Tomsula’s analogy because he’s “not out of breath.” He went on to say he still has complete confidence in his abilities.
“To me, I’ve played full seasons and been successful. It’s something mentally I’ve been through before. I’m not incapable of going through things,” Kaepernick said, per Niners Nation.
The 49ers announced Wednesday they were benching Kaepernick after a listless 27-6 loss to the Rams last week. It was arguably Kaepernick's worst performance of the season, as he only completed 49 percent of his passes and threw for a scant 162 yards. Overall this year, Kaepernick's completed 59 percent of his throws for 1,615 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions.
The 49ers’ moribund offense has been a major reason for their 2-6 record. They are currently the lowest scoring unit in the league, averaging 13.6 points per game.
Though the 49ers may be open to reinserting Kaepernick into the starting lineup this season, his future with the team beyond this year remains in doubt. CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reports it’s “virtually certain” Kaepernick won’t be back in San Francisco in 2016. Kaepernick’s contract for next season becomes guaranteed on April 1, so the 49ers could aim to trade him at the Combine, which is when they dealt Alex Smith more than two years ago. La Canfora writes the 49ers would be able to handle the $7 million cap hit they would incur for trading Kaepernick away.
But as far as this year is concerned, Kaepernick could be back under center shortly, because Gabbert's track record makes it appear unlikely that he'll be able to turn around the 49ers' feeble offensive attack. He went 5-22 as a starter in three years with Jacksonville and has never completed more than 58 percent of his passes in a season. Despite that, the 49ers reportedly believe Gabbert can be effective this week against an injury-plagued Falcons defense. (Atlanta didn't respond favorably to that news over Twitter.)
If Gabbert has success Sunday, perhaps that will cause the 49ers to reconsider the permanence of Kaepernick’s benching. But as of now, it doesn’t seem as if Gabbert has a grip on the job, even though Kaepernick’s future in San Francisco has never been more uncertain.
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