Kaepernick’s status iffy because of injuries, play
What Colin Kaepernick didn’t do before a preseason game Friday has obscured what he actually did after it started.
By sitting during the national anthem — and later speaking passionately to explain his decision — Kaepernick has shown he has the courage of his convictions. But by completing 2 of 6 passes for 14 yards in his first game action in nearly 10 months, he didn’t show he has what it takes it to recapture his early-career form.
In other words, the emerging activist still appears to be a regressing quarterback.
Blaine Gabbert, of course, is the overwhelming favorite to be the 49ers’ starting quarterback in the regular-season opener. And Kaepernick’s 2015 performance, his subsequent surgeries and his massive contract had invited speculation about his future with the team before his anthem stance.
On Sunday, Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer said Kaepernick could be released before the start of the regular season for football reasons. However, both head coach Chip Kelly and offensive coordinator Curtis Modkins have suggested otherwise.
On Monday, Modkins said he “would anticipate” Kaepernick is on the roster in Week 1. On Saturday, Kelly responded affirmatively when asked if he fully expected Kaepernick to be on the roster when the regular season started.
“Yeah,” Kelly said. “He’s competing with Blaine to see who our starting quarterback’s going to be.”
The 49ers’ quarterback situation suggests the team might have little choice but to keep Kaepernick. Their other options to back up Gabbert are rookie Jeff Driskel, a sixthround pick, and Christian Ponder, who was unemployed for eight months before the 49ers signed him near the end of training camp.
Still, how much better is Kaepernick at the moment than Driskel or Ponder? When Kaepernick was benched after eight starts in 2015, he ranked 29th in passer rating. He’s since slimmed down considerably after undergoing surgeries to his non-throwing shoulder, knee and thumb, and he didn’t appear to be as explosive as he once was when he scrambled out of the pocket Friday.
If he stays on the team, the 49ers could be wary of allowing him to play this season, given the potential financial ramifications. Kaepernick’s $11.9 million base salary this season is guaranteed. However, his $14.5 million salary in 2017 is guaranteed for injury. That means the 49ers would be on the hook for next season’s salary if he sustained an injury that prevented him from passing a physical April 1.
The 49ers might think that Kaepernick’s recent medical history, coupled with his playing style, makes him a prime candidate for a serious injury. Kaepernick has the third-most rushing attempts (241) by a quarterback since 2013.
Would the 49ers keep him on the roster and make him inactive for each game? Asked in mid-August whether Kaepernick would be active on game days if he was the secondbest quarterback on the roster, general manager Trent Baalke said, “None of those decisions have been made yet . ... Right now, we want him healthy.”
Kaepernick is healthy, but his declining to stand during the anthem in the first three preseason games, and the resulting fallout, have added another dimension to the discussion.
The 49ers have provided a statement supporting Kaepernick’s right to sit, and head coach Chip Kelly said his views will have no bearing on him as a football player. On Sunday, after a team meeting in which Kaepernick spoke, his teammates rallied behind him. Many acknowledged they didn’t necessarily agree with his form of protest, but they admired his stance.
“It takes a strong individual to stand up for what they believe in like that,” wide receiver Torrey Smith said. “And that’s a right that we have, so you have to respect it.”
The situation might not hurt Kaepernick’s standing with the team, but it almost certainly can’t help it.
Will the 49ers eventually decide it’s not worth keeping a reserve quarterback whose beliefs on social issues could provide an ongoing distraction? On Sunday, Kaepernick said he was willing to risk his job for his beliefs and insisted that he wasn’t going to be muted.
It also could inspire more questions about Kaepernick’s focus and commitment, issues that have been raised previously. On Sunday, inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman was supportive of Kaepernick, but he noted he was too focused on playing in the NFL to follow the quarterback’s lead.
“I feel like Colin made that choice to use his voice at this time of his career. And that’s his prerogative,” Bowman said. “My thing is, I wake up every day blessed and thankful to play in the NFL. And I don’t want to step into that box yet. I just want to focus on my career.”
On Monday, Chris Ault, Kaepernick’s head coach at Nevada, said he worried his former pupil’s stance could negatively impact his career.
“Guys like him can make a difference,” Ault wrote in a letter to the Reno GazetteJournal. “But it’s just a lot easier to make that point when you’re excelling on the field. I’m hoping that the vicious competitor I know steps up and becomes a difference-maker for all his endeavors — on and off the field.”