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Colin Kaepernick

Colin Kaepernick Draws Ire From Front Offices

August 31st, 2016 at 7:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite likely being set to begin a season without a starting quarterback job for the first time since 2012, Colin Kaepernick has dominated the NFL news cycle this week. The nature of his return to the spotlight angered many front office executives.

The majority of the league’s decision-making personnel do not support the 49ers quarterback’s decision to sit for the national anthem in protest, according to Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report.

A sampling of seven team executives revealed to Freeman they estimate 90-95% of NFL front offices shared their sentiments, which are not aligned with Kaepernick’s racially themed choice to sit during the anthem. Each of the surveyed septet believes the 49ers will release Kaepernick and he won’t play in the NFL again.

“I don’t want him anywhere near my team,” one front office executive told Freeman. “He’s a traitor.”

A GM also told Freeman he’d never seen a player hated by front office members as much as Kaepernick is now. Another executive told the writer he’d consider resigning from his post if his team’s owner wanted to sign the now-polarizing 28-year-old quarterback.

Sources close to Kaepernick expect the 49ers to release him, per Freeman. The 49ers, though, won’t be doing so because they don’t feel he can be effective anymore, as previously reported, but the anonymous executives believe San Francisco will instead cut the quarterback because of public pressure surrounding Kaepernick’s lightning-rod status. So, two key factors appear to be working against the dual-threat player.

It would be interesting if Kaepernick wants to continue playing but can’t when considering his standout past and the fact players with checkered legal pasts have been allowed to continue their careers. Freeman cites the Vikings moving on from longtime punter Chris Kluwe in 2013 around the same time he voiced his support for gay rights as a precedent for what could soon happen.

The NFL does not require players to stand for the anthem, but the league encourages the practice. The 49ers and Chip Kelly voiced support for Kaepernick’s rights last week when the controversy spawned. Kelly said the coaching staff remained in the process of deciding between he and Blaine Gabbert for the Week 1 starting role and that his controversial protest will not affect his standing on the team.

Kaepernick is due to make $11.9MM via fully guaranteed base salary this season. He signed the team-friendly, pay-as-you-go-structured deal in 2014 after he’d come off two strong seasons that ended with the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII and then in the 2013 NFC championship game. Kaepernick, though, has regressed from that high level that previously induced the Niners to trade Alex Smith to the Chiefs.

San Francisco benched Kaepernick last season before placing him on IR. During an offseason when he underwent three surgeries and lost weight as a result of being unable to train sufficiently, the 49ers and Broncos engaged in trade talks for the mercurial passer who’s led the 49ers to four playoff wins.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Bosa, 49ers, Tebow, McPhee

August 29th, 2016 at 10:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Joey Bosa‘s switch in lead agents helped end the stalemate between him and the Chargers, as Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. Bosa’s camp shifted from Brian Ayrault to Todd France — each of whom work for CAA — after Ayrault rejected San Diego’s most recent offer. Because the club said it would only reduce its proposal from there, the agency decided to try a new strategy. “Good cop, bad cop,” one source told Gehlken.

Another key in ending the negotiations was the Chargers agreeing to language that would protect Bosa’s roster bonuses, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link). The former Ohio State Buckeye will receive 85% of his signing bonus in 2016, and the rest in 2017, per Breer, which represents a compromise between the two sides.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • The 49ers could choose to put quarterback Colin Kaepernick “on ice” in 2016 in order to ensure that his injury guarantees do not kick in, as Breer tweets. San Francisco would be employing a similar tactic used by the Redskins last year with Robert Griffin III. Kaepernick’s $11.9MM salary for the upcoming season is fully guaranteed, but a report this morning indicated that the club could still cut the sixth-year QB.
  • Roughly half of MLB will be represented at Tim Tebow‘s baseball workout tomorrow, reports Jon Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Prior to the start of the season, Tebow reportedly worked out for the Dodgers and the team showed some level of interest in him afterward. Of course, the former NFL quarterback faces an uphill climb as he hasn’t played baseball full-time since 2005.
  • The Bears face a decision on linebacker Pernell McPhee in the coming days, as Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune writes. McPhee, who is dealing with a knee injury, is currently on the active/PUP list, and if he doesn’t come off said list by Saturday, he’d be forced to miss the first six weeks of the season. Chicago isn’t saying much about McPhee’s recovery, but it doesn’t look like McPhee will be able to contribute by Week 1.
  • 2015 first-round pick Andrus Peat played primarily on the left side during his rookie year, so the Saints are now considering moving him from right guard to left guard, according to John DeShazier of the team’s website. If New Orleans does make the switch, veterans Tim Lelito and Senio Kelemete would keep competing for the right guard spot.

49ers Could Cut Colin Kaepernick

August 29th, 2016 at 8:36am CST by Zachary Links

49ers coach Chip Kelly has said that Colin Kaepernick‘s controversial decision not to stand for the national anthem will not affect his standing in the team’s quarterback competition. However, there’s now word that Kaepernick could potentially be released before the start of the season for football reasons. Colin Kaepernick

“Regardless of politics or not, he has a very, very big uphill battle to make this team,” insider Jay Glazer said on FOX. “I’d be shocked if he’s on the 49ers by the time this season ends. It has nothing to do with political views whatsoever. He lost a ton of weight this offseason, had three surgeries, couldn’t work out, lost that double threat, that size-speed ratio. No political views, he just hasn’t been effective. He’s regressing as a player. I’d be shocked if he’s on this roster by the end of this year. He may not be on it in the next two weeks.”

It would certainly be surprising if the 49ers cut their one-time franchise quarterback before the start of the season, particularly given that his $11.9MM salary is guaranteed for 2016. By releasing Kaepernick, the Niners would effectively be saying that regardless of salary, Christian Ponder and Jeff Driskel are both better quarterbacks than he is at this moment. It’s also possible that the Niners view Kaepernick’s presence as a distraction and they may not want him lurking over Blaine Gabbert‘s shoulder in 2016.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Colin Kaepernick

August 27th, 2016 at 8:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Chip Kelly told media, including Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, today Colin Kaepernick‘s decision to sit down while the national anthem played last night will not affect his standing in the 49ers’ quarterback competition.

When asked if Kaepernick’s roster spot was in jeopardy, the first-year San Francisco coach responded, “He’s competing with  Blaine [Gabbert] to see who our starting quarterback is going to be.”

After the 49ers’ third preseason game last night, Kelly said, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, a discussion on cutting ties with the 28-year-old quarterback has not taken place. Kaepernick didn’t fare especially well in his 2016 debut Friday night, but the sixth-year passer would be difficult for the 49ers to release. The 49ers keeping him around after April 1 made his $11.9MM fully guaranteed for this season. That said, the team isn’t exactly operating with a win-now mentality, judging by the league-most $46.6MM the 49ers possess in cap space. By waiting until 2017 to part with Kaepernick, the 49ers would only have to eat $4.9MM in dead money.

Kaepernick would earn an additional $2MM this season by being on San Francisco’s roster for nine games, but again, the team operating this far under the cap might not make his pay-as-you-go contract an issue for this season. But coupling the money and a potential controversy surrounding a player who as of now doesn’t look to be slated to start may become an issue for 49ers management.

Kelly voiced support for the embattled quarterback’s decision to make a racially themed statement by not standing for the anthem, one he also made to much less fanfare last week in Denver — albeit while in street clothes. The 49ers’ statement also recognized Kaepernick’s right not to stand for the anthem. Players are encouraged to stand for the anthem but are not required to do so, the league said in a statement Saturday.

“We recognize his right to express his feelings,” Kelly said. “It’s not my right to tell him not to do something.”

Gabbert looks likely to retain the starting job he grabbed midseason after the team benched Kaepernick before soon placing him on IR. The former second-round pick rehabbed throughout the offseason after three surgeries. San Francisco nearly dealt him to Denver, but Kaepernick’s salary proved to be a stumbling block in those talks after. He refused to accept a pay cut to facilitate a deal, with the 49ers also balking at paying $5MM of his salary to do the same.

Christian Ponder and sixth-round rookie Jeff Driskel are the 49ers’ other quarterbacks.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC Notes: Eagles, 49ers, Giants, Seahawks

August 24th, 2016 at 5:53pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles have been shopping defensive lineman Taylor Hart around the NFL, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Hart doesn’t have an overly appealing track record in the league, however. The 2014 fifth-round pick from Oregon was on the Eagles’ 53-man roster throughout his rookie year, but he failed to log any appearances. In 14 games last season, the 6-foot-6, 281-pounder partook in 27 percent of the Eagles’ defensive snaps and made 27 tackles.

Here’s more from the NFC:

  • When asked to characterize his association with Trent Baalke, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick said he and the GM have a “business relationship” (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle). Further, in response to Baalke’s comment last week that he and Kaepernick broke their months-long silence with a” good conversation,” the signal-caller simply referred to it as a “conversation.”
  • Giants owner John Mara the Josh Brown situation on Wednesday and said the club was in fact aware of both the domestic allegations against the kicker and his arrest (via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com). Nothing has happened since to change the Giants’ opinion on re-signing him in April.
  • Because the Seahawks made such a minimal investment in Jahri Evans (one year, minimum salary benefit with $80K guaranteed), it’s uncertain if the veteran guard is a lock for the club’s final roster. As Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes, Seattle is pleased with the play of left guard Mark Glowinski and first-round right guard Germain Ifedi, so a starting spot for Evans might not be available.
  • As of now, the Saints and contract-year quarterback still aren’t progressing toward an extension.

Connor Byrne contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Kaep, Giants, Vikes, Saints

August 18th, 2016 at 8:59pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

49ers head coach Chip Kelly provided an update Thursday on quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who has been sidelined lately with a sore right shoulder.

“From what we understand, it’s not a long-term thing,” Kelly said of Kaepernick’s injury. “Talking to him, he says he feels really good about it. But we don’t want to throw him back out there and have a setback right now,”
The 28-year-old threw 47 passes on the side while the 49ers practiced with the Broncos on Thursday, per Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group). The 49ers face Denver in a preseason game Saturday, but Kaepernick won’t play in that.
San Francisco is currently hoping Kaepernick will be ready for its Aug. 26 home tilt with Green Bay. Kaepernick hasn’t thrown in team drills in over a week, which has precluded him from competing with Blaine Gabbert for the 49ers’ starting job. Gabbert went 4 of 10 for 63 yards and a touchdown in the Niners’ preseason opener versus Houston last Sunday.

Here’s more frm the NFC:

  • Giants kicker Josh Brown was arrested in May 2015 on a fourth-degree misdemeanor charge as a result of an incident with his now-former wife, but the NFL didn’t discipline him until Wednesday. When asked what took so long to punish Brown, who received a one-game suspension, vice president of communications Brian McCarthy told James Kratch of NJ.com, “It was a comprehensive investigation with multiple interviews, analyzing a tremendous amount of documents. Also, the player appealed.” Given that Brown appealed, it’s no surprise that he doesn’t agree with the punishment (via Kratch). Brown’s reasoning is that the state of Washington, where the dispute occurred, dropped the charge against him five days after his arrest. “While I’m not OK with the decision, I have to respect it,” he conceded.
  • Could the Vikings keep four tight ends? It’s a possibility as sixth-round rookie David Morgan continues to prove that he can do more than block, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes. “He’s got good hands,” head coach Mike Zimmer said, adding that he doesn’t have reservations about keeping four TEs. “He runs good routes, he gets open, he’s got a little sliver to him. That part I didn’t know about.” At tight end, starter Kyle Rudolph, MyCole Pruitt, and Rhett Ellison (expected to be taken off PUP for opener) are considered locks to make the team. If the Vikings do keep four tight ends, that might be a bad sign for All-Pro fullback Zach Line because Ellison could fill his role.
  • Cortland Finnegan’s deal with the Saints calls for him to earn a $985K base salary with a $50K signing bonus and a $650K cap hit (minimum salary benefit), Nick Underhill of The Advocate tweets.
  • It’s a safe assumption that the Cowboys will convert some of Travis Frederick‘s $14.221MM base salary for 2017 into signing bonus money for cap purposes, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com tweets.
  • In case you missed it, PFR reviewed the Packers’ offseason Thursday.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Latest On 49ers’ Kaepernick, Ward, Hyde

August 17th, 2016 at 7:29pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

49ers general manager Trent Baalke denied Wednesday that he’ll have a hand in choosing the team’s starting quarterback, telling reporters (including Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com), “The head coach is going to decide who the starting quarterback is for the San Francisco 49ers.”

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While Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert are supposed to be in competition for the job, the former hasn’t practiced in a week because of right shoulder soreness.

Responding to the notion that Kaepernick has a “dead arm” Baalke said, “His arm is tired. To say it’s dead, I wouldn’t make that assumption.”

The GM added that Kaepernick could begin ramping up his activities Thursday. The dual threat has dealt with several injuries since last year, including a left shoulder issue that required season-ending surgery in November. Kaepernick then experienced a turbulent offseason, one which featured him and his representatives pursuing a trade out of San Francisco. The 28-year-old nearly ended up in Denver, but a potential deal fell through after the 28-year-old refused a pay cut to join the reigning Super Bowl champions. With Kaepernick staying a 49er, he and Baalke finally ended their months-long silent treatment toward each other and spoke earlier this summer.Read more

Colin Kaerpernick Dealing With “Dead Arm”

August 15th, 2016 at 9:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was held out of Sunday’s preseason game against the Texans as he deals with a “dead arm,” reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). San Francisco hopes that Kaepernick will be healthy enough to participate in Saturday’s contest against the Broncos, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes.Colin Kaepernick

[RELATED: 49ers sign NaVorro Bowman to extension]

“Colin isn’t 100 percent and it wouldn’t have been fair to put him in and judge him in a competition,” head coach Chip Kelly said Sunday night. “…It’s nothing that’s a long-term thing. It’s just a day-to-day thing. He said he feels better as we go, but we’re not going to push him so we can have a proper evaluation.”

Kaepernick, of course, is locked in a battle with Blaine Gabbert for the 49ers’ starting quarterback job, though how open the competition is remains a question. In fact, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweeted last night that Gabbert has been the “landslide favorite” for weeks. However, Gabbert wasn’t overly effective in limited action against Houston, as he completed only four of 10 passes while throwing one touchdown.

If Kaepernick’s injury does turn into a long-term issue, San Francisco could be forced to add another quarterback to its roster. Backup signal-caller Thad Lewis tore his ACL in last night’s contest and is out for the season, meaning the Niners have only two healthy quarterbacks available: Gabbert, and sixth-round rookie Jeff Driskel.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

QB Notes: Patriots, 49ers, Jets

August 12th, 2016 at 7:01pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

In an interview with the Patriots Radio Network on Thursday, team president Jonathan Kraft exalted Tom Brady and expressed frustration over the quarterback’s season-opening four-game suspension for his role in the Deflategate scandal.

Of Brady, who has won four Super Bowls with the Patriots, Kraft said (via Ryan Hannable of WEEI), “From our perspective, he’s the type of professional athlete that you want to celebrate, hold up as an example, not only to other players in the league but hold up to kids that are playing the game, and just as somebody you want to model your life off of, not only as a professional athlete but how he is as a father to his children, a husband, a son to his parents, a brother to his sisters. He is as good of a human being as you can get.”

After praising Brady, Kraft took aim at the NFL, stating that the league’s treatment of the 39-year-old “eats at” the Patriots organization. “And there’s still a tremendous amount of, there’s frustration around how the pure facts of science and lack of any type of tangible, hard evidence that certain people can look at those circumstances and then try to taint him or his legacy without that type of evidence,” he continued.

A few items on Brady’s fellow quarterbacks:

  • Colin Kaepernick is vying for the 49ers’ starting job, but shoulder tightness is currently preventing the sixth-year man from competing with Blaine Gabbert, as Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group writes. It’s important to note that Kaepernick’s right shoulder – not the left shoulder that required November surgery – is the one bothering him. The 28-year-old is “not too concerned about” the issue, he said Friday, and classified it as “just tightness.” Nevertheless, Kaepernick’s inability to garner first-team reps isn’t helping his cause in a battle that Gabbert looks primed to win, according to Inman.
  • Despite going in the second round of this year’s draft, Christian Hackenberg was unable to get into the Jets’ preseason opener against Jacksonville on Thursday. Head coach Todd Bowles offered an explanation afterward, telling reporters (including Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday), “We wanted to take a look at Geno (Smith) and Bryce (Petty). And to play Hackenberg with minimal reps in practice would be doing him a disservice to play him with minimal reps in a game.” Bowles went on to state that it “remains to be seen” whether the former Penn State signal-caller will appear in either of the Jets’ next two preseason games. “It’s not like we’re forced to play him right now,” added Bowles, whose club has two veteran options in starter Ryan Fitzpatrick and Smith, a fourth-year man. Petty was a fourth-rounder last year who hasn’t yet appeared in a game.
  • If any Jets quarterback is in jeopardy of the team handing him a pink slip this summer, it’s likely Petty. But Tara Sullivan of USA Today opines that New York should take the rare route of keeping four passers. Indeed, with Fitzpatrick and Hackenberg not going anywhere, Smith possessing substantial experience, and the Jets having made a somewhat significant investment in Petty just over 15 months ago, they do look like strong candidates to employ a quarterback quartet.
  • In the biggest QB-related news of Friday, the Bills inked starter Tyrod Taylor to an extension.

Extra Points: Kaepernick, Gabbert, Kuhn

July 24th, 2016 at 12:51pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s round up some news from around the league on our last Sunday before full training camp practices begin:

  • Current Vikings guard Alex Boone spent the first seven seasons of his professional career with the 49ers before signing with Minnesota this offseason, and he tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that Blaine Gabbert will beat out Colin Kaepernick for San Francisco’s starting quarterback job. Boone said, “To be honest I think that Blaine did a great job last year, and from what I know of Blaine, I think he’s probably gonna take the reins. I mean I think he’s a good guy, he knows what he’s doing out there, and he just has the support of the group so I think that’s one of the things to look forward to.” Boone’s comments, of course, are in keeping with recent reports from the Bay Area.
  • Longtime Packers fullback and current free agent John Kuhn told Pat Kirwan and Jim Miller on SiriusXM NFL Radio several days ago that he is still waiting for an NFL team (preferably the Packers) to give him a call. A full-length piece from SiriusXM staff provides more details of that conversation, in which Kuhn explains why he expects to continue playing in 2016. Kuhn believes the variety of sub-packages that defenses deploy in today’s game create a need for two-back sets, and he added, “If not this week, if not next week, sometime in August, somebody’s going to have a need for somebody who’s willing to come in, work hard, do some of the dirty work that not everybody does anymore.”
  • The Ravens put six players on the PUP list Saturday, as Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports, including big names Terrell Suggs, Steve Smith, Sr., Elvis Dumervil, and Breshad Perriman. All of those players, of course, can return to practice when activated, but they would have to miss at least the first six weeks of the season if they remain on the PUP list when Week 1 rolls around. Conspicuously absent from that list is Joe Flacco, who can participate in the first full-team training camp practice on Thursday.
  • Kyle Meinke of MLive.com says the Lions‘ hottest training camp battle could be at wide receiver, where a host of veterans and unproven youngsters will compete for playing time behind Marvin Jones and Golden Tate.
  • Greg Auman of The Tampa Bay Times tweets that the Buccaneers have 12 receivers currently on the roster, 10 of whom are 25 or younger. Of that group, Auman expects five to make the 53-man roster (or six if the group includes the return specialist). In a separate tweet, Auman indicates that the Bucs will also carry four tight ends.
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