The San Francisco 49ers are facing an uncertain offseason under new head coach Chip Kelly, a situation exacerbated greatly by the fact that the quarterback position in San Fran remains in extreme flux. Colin Kaepernick, he of the six-year, $114 million contract (though those numbers are incredibly inflated), remains in place though Blaine Gabbert, the former first-round pick who flamed out in Jacksonville, took the reins of the Niners offense after Kaep stumbled and bumbled his way out of the starting role last season. The Niners have a high pick in the looming 2016 NFL Draft and are likely to try and land a quarterback, but nothing at this early date is certain. We may though finally be getting a clearer picture of the plan in San Francisco.
"The consensus from everything I've heard and people in the loop and most reporters around here, is that it would be an upset if [Kaepernick] would come back," said John Middelkauf, a former Eagles scout who covers the Niners for 95.7 The Game, per Tim McManus of Philly Mag.
It's not the first time it's been suggested that Kaep won't be back. In fact, reports emerged at the end of the season stating unequivocally that Kaepernick and the Niners would split this offseason. Middlekauf, citing "pre-existing tension" between Kaepernick and the Niners front office, falls in that camp. And even if Kelly decides he wants to work with him, the issues between Kaepernick and GM Trent Baalke may make a continued marriage impossible.
Interestingly, if the Niners and Kelly delve into the free agent market, don't except a reunion with Sam Bradford, the guy Kelly traded Nick Foles and a second-round pick for just last year to helm his offense in Philly.
"I would say it would be a 50-50 chance [of the Niners pursuing Bradford] but I had heard towards the end of the season that Chip wasn't that high on him," Middlekauf told McManus.
Really, while it is initially surprising to hear that Kelly isn't that "high" on Bradford, it makes sense when you look at the numbers. Despite Bradford improving over the season and putting together a strong final seven games, he ultimately still remained middle of the pack for an NFL starter.
It seems at this point that the Niners will enter next season with a very different quarterback depth chart, but it's unlikely that Bradford will be a part of it. The biggest question is whether Kaep and the team can mend fences.
