Written by Tom Pelissero at USAToday.com
How could a bidding war break out for a guy who just got benched in favor of Blaine Gabbert?
And if Colin Kaepernick’s career can be salvaged, why aren’t the San Francisco 49ers and coach Chip Kelly hellbent on doing it themselves, the quarterback’s wishes be damned?
Two separate questions, as reports fly of trade talks involving the Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns and New York Jets, but the answers are intertwined.
Let’s start with what has happened to Kaepernick, who lest we forget led the Niners to two NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl.
When Kaepernick took over midway through the 2012 season, he was part of a quality roster with a top-notch coach, Jim Harbaugh, who perfectly tailored the offense to his young quarterback’s skill set.
The defense was elite, featuring Pro Bowlers Aldon Smith, Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman, Donte Whitner, Dashon Goldson, Justin Smith and Ahmad Brooks. They had balance offensively, with running back Frank Gore driving the ground game.
They also had the element of surprise as NFL defenses tried to catch up to the zone-read concepts that were just coming into vogue. (Google the highlight of Kaepernick’s famous playoff touchdown run against Green Bay and watch how badly the Packers’ linebackers misplay it.)
The talent began to erode with Bowman’s knee injury, Aldon Smith’s mounting legal troubles and eventual release, the decline and retirement of Willis and Justin Smith, and the departure of Gore and others through free agency. Their offensive scheme became at least somewhat less novel.
Months of tension between Harbaugh and the front office, exacerbated by a string of unflattering media leaks, led to what the organization called a mutual parting with its coach after the 2014 season. Harbaugh’s replacement, Jim Tomsula, had a defensive line background, and new offensive coordinator Geep Chryst tried to take Kaepernick’s game in a new direction.
The result: a miserable failure for Kaepernick and the 49ers, who went 5-11 and fired pretty much everyone in 2015.
To continue reading this article, click here.
