San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick met with the team last week, and the organization is reportedly open to bringing him back in 2016, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Reports surfaced earlier this year that Kaepernick was virtually certain to not return to San Francisco next season, but now it looks like the 49ers are open to bringing him back. Kaepernick underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum on his shoulder and has been rehabbing at the team's facility.
Kaepernick signed a six-year contract extension reportedly worth more than $110 million back in June 2014, and he is due a guaranteed $11.9 million if he is still on the 49ers roster on April 1. San Francisco benched Kaepernick for quarterback Blaine Gabbert after poor play this season, and it wasn't found out until later that he had been dealing with a shoulder injury.
Kaepernick started the 2015 season with a 2-6 record and struggled on the field, throwing just a 59 percent completion percentage. The 49ers quarterback threw for 1,615 yards with six touchdowns to five interceptions. Gabbert has lead San Francisco to a 1-2 record as their starting quarterback, but he has two straight losses to division rivals against the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals.
The 49ers are clearly in rebuilding mode at 3-8 on the year, and it's hard to imagine that they will keep Kaepernick given the amount of money he is due. It will be interesting to see what the 49ers do this offseason, as they could be looking at one of the top draft picks in the 2016 NFL Draft. While the team is reportedly open to bringing Kaepernick back next season, the 49ers organization will have a ton of offseason moves that need to be taken care of before they return to the top of the NFC.
