[Elvis]

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2 ... aepernick/

Hey, the 49ers and Colin Kaepernick might try to find common ground this spring, but given everything we know, it’s hard to see how that could happen

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Tim Kawakami

Maybe there is a narrow, winding way for the 49ers and Colin Kaepernick to negotiate relative peace and find a parcel of common ground for the 2016 season.

I wouldn’t count on it, though.

Maybe, when 49ers officials meet with the quarterback’s representatives at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this week, the two sides can hammer out a ceasefire this spring after months of indirect but obvious hostilities.

That seems to be what 49ers executives want, and when they want something that isn’t quite true (yet or ever), they usually tell national reporters that it’s going to happen, anyway.

But I wouldn’t say a grand rapprochement between team and quarterback is the likeliest or nearest conclusion.

In fact, leading into the combine, I’ve heard nothing much has changed between the 49ers and Kaepernick and that Kaepernick understandably remains generally distrustful of team management’s motivations.

Still, both sides want to keep their options open–no doors are shut, everybody can have conversations.

That’s understandable. That’s wise. But I’ve heard nothing to suggest a new thaw in the relationship or that one is coming.

Really, I wouldn’t blame Kaepernick if he is already looking towards a new situation, new team, and new bunch of executives who might actually fulfill the promises made to him.

I would circle the large possibility that Kaepernick and his representatives could soon move to get him away from the 49ers in a manner that emphasizes the false pretenses and whispered innuendoes team officials have used to denigrate and manipulate Kaepernick for many months now.

And I would think 49ers executives might be getting tired of the entire relationship, too.

That’s a whole lot of baggage to bring into this spring, a repository of complication that new coach Chip Kelly may or may not want to decipher and attempt to resolve.

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Then throw in the $11.9 million the 49ers would owe Kaepernick if he remains on the roster April 1 (barring an agreement by both sides to lower the amount).

Which is a lot of money for a QB that, if he’s still on the roster, figures to battle with Blaine Gabbert for the starting
spot.

Add the recent series of minor surgeries Kaepernick underwent after consulting with outside doctors–surgeries from which he is still recovering.

And add Kelly’s known preference to avoid players who aren’t fully on-board with his program.

What you get is a full picture of a very shaky situation with little practical means for even temporary reconciliation.

Of course, the 49ers could take full control just by keeping Kaepernick on the roster into April–his contract would be in tact, and he would have little choice except to report on time and learn Kelly’s offense.

But the 49ers probably don’t want to pay Kaepernick his full 2016 salary; Kelly has seemed just as intrigued by Gabbert, who is onboard for only $2 million.

Also, Kaepernick was pretty bad last season, and it’s not at all clear that his skill set exactly fits Kelly’s offense.

Kaepernick could use a new start, and you could quickly list several teams that might be interested in giving it to him, starting with the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos and continuing on to the New York Jets, Houston Texans and maybe the Los Angeles Rams.

The 49ers could try to trade him–if he’s amenable to the team involved, Kaepernick could agree to a salary adjustment as part of the trade agreement.

Or Kaepernick could just wait out the 49ers and force them to either release him to avoid paying any of the $11.9 million.

I know the guy is secretive, but if Kelly fully believed in Kaepernick as the potential leader of a revamped 49ers offense, wouldn’t you think we’d know by now? Wouldn’t you think Kaepernick would know by now?

But it’s late-February and we don’t know that; by all reports, Kaepernick doesn’t, either.

Of course, if the right things are said between now and April, Kaepernick might decide he wants to give Kelly and the Kelly system a shot and Kaepernick could accept a lower salary to stay with the 49ers in 2016.

But Kaepernick does not seem to be in a compromising mood these days, unless you believe Tweeting out photos and quotes of Malcolm X earlier this week on the anniversary of his assassination is a sign of pending conciliation.

In the middle of all this, I can absolutely respect a player who signals that he is ready to stand his ground.

Or unless you think Kaepernick Re-Tweeting Jim Harbaugh’s recent comments to me supporting Kaepernick as evidence that the 28-year-old QB is ready to re-embrace 49ers management.
It’s not a signal of that, by the way.

Harbaugh, if you need a recap, is the 49ers’ least favorite person in the whole world and anything he says is guaranteed to be rejected by general manager Trent Baalke, owner Jed York and everybody who works for them or is indebted to them.

Harbaugh is long gone to Ann Arbor, Mich., and it seems inevitable that Kaepernick will departSanta Clara, too, and find a new team and new executives he might actually trust and respect.

[OldSchool]

Damn, with that salty ending I thought this was written by Bernie.

[Hacksaw]

Is Squidward better than any of our QB's?

[Neil039]

Is Squidward better than any of our QB's?

Probably by a NOSE

[ramsman34]

He still can't properly read defenses. Maybe that's ok in a deep play-action offense. I don't really see him as a fit with the RAMS though. He is also not a great locker room guy as has been reported.

[Hacksaw]

Is Squidward better than any of our QB's?

Probably by a NOSE

LOL

[OldSchool]

Good, scratch them off the list of teams drafting a qb in the first.

[Elvis]

http://www.insidesocal.com/nfl/2016/02/ ... -for-rams/

Colin Kaepernick might not be an option for Rams

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Vincent Bonsignore

INDIANAPOLIS – It’s no secret the Los Angeles Rams will not leave any stone unturned in search of their quarterback of the future this offseason. Be it the draft, free agency or a trade.

And that means the Rams getting tied into every imaginable available quarterback option.

It was assumed San Francisco 49ers Colin Kaepernick would be one of those quarterbacks, if only because the 49ers and Kaepernick seemed destined for a break up after back-to-back disappointing seasons.

But that might not be the case.

Speaking to reporters today at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said Kaepernick will “absolutely” be on the roster on April 1st when his $11.9 million contract becomes guaranteed.

Granted, the 49ers can still change their minds between now and April 1st, but Baalke sounded pretty convincing Kaepernick will be sticking around at least through the 2016 season.

If so, Kaepernick will be playing for his third head coach in three years in former Philadelphia Eagles and Oregon coach Chip Kelly. Kaepernick has expressed misgivings about returning to the 49ers, but Kelly does offer some compelling reasons for Kaepernick to want to stay in San Francisco.

Kelly’s Zone Read Spread Offense seems perfectly situated for Kaepernick’s skill set, and with Kaepernick in desperate need of a bounce-back season it makes sense that he finds an offense that fits his talents.

Looks like that might be in San Francisco.

“The No. 1 focus is getting him healthy,” Baalke said of Kaepernick, who is coming off thumb, shoulder and knee surgeries . “Chip is excited to work with him.”

Which means the Rams might have to scratch Kaepernick off their checklist.