Colin Kaepernick - Pro Football Rumors

49ers Rumors: Lynn, Flaherty, Kaepernick

January 22nd, 2016 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The 49ers are the only team in the NFL that is still without both an offensive and defensive coordinator, and for the second time in the last two days, it sounds like a strong candidate for one of those positions will no longer be in the mix. According to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link), Bills assistant head coach and running backs coach Anthony Lynn has withdrawn from consideration for San Francisco’s OC job.

While there had been no indication that the Niners preferred Lynn to other candidates for the position, such as Ryan Day or Curtis Modkins, the Bills assistant has certainly been the hotter name this winter, having interviewed for a pair of head coaching openings earlier in the month. Marvez’s report comes on the heels of Thursday’s news that Mike Vrabel had declined the 49ers’ offer to become their defensive coordinator.

As the Niners continue their search for offensive and defensive coordinators, having crossed a pair of names off their lists, let’s round up a few more items out of San Francisco….

According to Marvez (via Twitter), the 49ers have made one coaching addition today, hiring former Giants offensive line coach Pat Flaherty for the same position in San Francisco. We heard several hours ago that the Niners were also considering Bob Bostad for that job.
Although he’s typically not very transparent, 49ers general manager Trent Baalke seemed to make it pretty clear this week that Colin Kaepernick remains in the club’s plans for 2016, writes Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. Pressed on whether the team was ready to lock in Kaepernick’s $11.9MM base salary for next season, Baalke replied, “We signed the contract for a reason. We’re not worried about the financial part of it at this point. What we’re worried about is getting him healthy and ready to compete.”
This morning, we learned that 49ers linebackers coach Jason Tarver and Ravens linebackers coach Don Martindale are among the candidates receiving consideration for San Francisco’s defensive coordinator job.

Extra Points: LA, Chip, Rice, Bucs, Jets

January 20th, 2016 at 9:48pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Negotiations between the Rams and Chargers are going well, according to Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole (video link), as the Bolts continue their quest to leave San Diego for Los Angeles. Cole offers a couple of reasons why the Rams hope the Chargers – not the Raiders – join them as LA’s second NFL team. The Rams believe marketing the Raiders in LA would be a challenge, given their past history in the city. Further, the Rams don’t want the Raiders’ rowdy fans in the state-of-the-art stadium and shopping complex they’re building in Inglewood. It appears the Rams won’t have to worry about it, as Cole expects they’ll reach a deal with the Chargers – perhaps in the next two weeks.

NFC West Rumors: Shanahan, Long, Okung

January 20th, 2016 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

Mike Shanahan received strong consideration from the 49ers as the team was deliberating over its new head coach, with former players like Steve Young and Ronnie Lott talking to the team on Shanahan’s behalf, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). However, according to Cole, a key factor in the Niners’ decision to go with Chip Kelly was the club’s belief that Shanahan wanted to move on from Colin Kaepernick, using San Francisco’s first-round pick to draft a quarterback.

It remains to be seen whether Kaepernick will bounce back under Kelly’s system, given his accuracy issues, but 49ers management has some confidence that the quarterback can still have success in San Francisco, and Kelly appears likely to give him a shot.

Here’s more from around the NFC West:

After battling through another injury-plagued season in 2015, veteran defensive end Chris Long is entering the final year of his contract, and the Rams seem unlikely to keep him around at his current price ($9.75MM base salary, $14.25MM cap hit). Would Long consider a pay cut to remain with the franchise as it moves to Los Angeles? “Of course I’m open to doing something like that,” Long said, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. “It’s not about the money at this point for me.”
As he prepares to represent himself in free agency, Seahawks tackle Russell Okung tells Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com that he has done his homework and he thinks he’ll make out well.
Peter King of TheMMQB.com provides some illuminating details about last week’s owners meeting in Houston that resulted in the Rams‘ plan for relocation to Los Angeles being approved. According to King, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and Seahawks owner Paul Allen were among those in the room who helped shift the momentum from the Carson project to Stan Kroenke‘s Inglewood plan.

Extra Points: Kaepernick, Jets, Foster, Draft

January 14th, 2016 at 10:35pm CST by Luke Adams

The 49ers announced today that Chip Kelly will be the team’s new head coach, which created a whole new set of questions about whether Colin Kaepernick might have a future in San Francisco after all. After being benched in 2015, Kaepernick, who is owed a base salary of nearly $12MM in 2016, looked like a candidate to be traded or released this offseason.

According to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link), however, Kelly told the Niners in his interviews that he likes both Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert, so the team and its new coach are keeping their options open. Kelly plans to sit down with Kaepernick at some point to determine which direction to go, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, who tweets that Kelly will make the call on the club’s quarterback.

While we look forward to seeing if Kaepernick can be rejuvenated under Kelly, let’s check out a few more odds and ends from around the NFL….

General manager Mike Maccagnan indicated today that his Jets would like to re-sign Muhammad Wilkerson and the franchise tag is definitely in play for the defensive lineman, says Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Still, Wilkerson is facing a six-month rehab for his broken leg, and may have to be placed on the PUP list to start training camp. Cimini gets the sense that the Jets GM isn’t optimistic about keeping both Wilkerson and defensive tackle Damon Harrison.
As Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes, Arian Foster‘s future with the Texans remains up in the air, but it looks like something’s got to give, since the veteran running back is coming off a torn Achilles and has a cap hit of nearly $9MM in 2016. “We’ll have to see how healthy he is,” Texans owner Bob McNair said. “But until we know that, there’s really not much you can think about.”
The Jets are showing significant interest in CFL star wide receiver Eric Rogers, who visited them on Wednesday after working out for them a few weeks ago, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets that the Lions and Rogers may be a logical fit as well, since new GM Bob Quinn worked him out in New England, and wide receiver may be a position of need for Detroit.
Mel Kiper’s first mock draft of 2016 at ESPN.com (Insider-only link) features Joey Bosa, Jared Goff, and Laremy Tunsil coming off the board in the top three to the Titans, Browns, and Chargers respectively.

49ers Meeting With John DeFilippo

January 9th, 2016 at 7:38pm CST by Luke Adams

SATURDAY, 7:38pm: The 49ers did interview DeFilippo, but they view him as a candidate for their offensive coordinator job more than their vacant head coaching position, Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News reports (Twitter link).

FRIDAY, 10:18am: After having interviewed former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly and Bills assistant HC Anthony Lynn, the 49ers are meeting today with Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), today’s sit-down between the DeFilippo and the Niners is more of an “informational” meeting, rather than a formal interview.

DeFilippo, in his first year as the Browns’ offensive coordinator, has also drawn interest from the Rams for St. Louis’ OC position, even though he didn’t exactly work miracles in Cleveland. The Browns’ offense finishing 25th in the NFL in yards per game (331.9) and 30th in points per game (17.4).

Still, given the players he had to work with, it may have taken a miracle for DeFilippo to produce above-average results. The Browns started three different quarterbacks – Josh McCown, Johnny Manziel, and Austin Davis – and saw free agent signee Dwayne Bowe, who received a $9MM guarantee, catch just five balls. The team was also missing top wideout Josh Gordon, who was suspended for the year.

As for the 49ers, Rapoport describes their mutual interest with Kelly as “very real” (Twitter link), while Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link) hears that Kelly is a big fan of Colin Kaepernick. That may work in Kelly’s favor as the Niners consider their head coaching options, but as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes, several other candidates for the job would be excited about working with Kaepernick, or have had interest in him in the past.

Be sure to check out PFR’s head coaching search tracker for the latest on San Francisco’s hunt for Jim Tomsula‘s replacement, as well as updates on the other six openings around the NFL.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

49ers Rumors: Baalke, Tomsula, Kaepernick

January 4th, 2016 at 2:50pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest on the 49ers, who are on the hunt for a new head coach after canning Jim Tomsula:

49ers CEO Jed York says that Trent Baalke will remain as GM and that he will be in charge of finding the team’s next head coach, Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee tweets.
Baalke has three years left on his contract, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com notes (on Twitter). The GM was given an extension to line up with Tomsula’s years.
York is making it clear that he’s relying on his uncle, Eddie DeBartolo, to serve as an advisor and mentor in the search, PFT tweets.
When asked if he will sell the 49ers, York made it known that he is not interested in giving up the franchise. “My family owned this team before I was born. They’ll own the team after I’m gone,” York said (via Barrows on Twitter).
Tomsula is the only member of the coaching staff who has been let go, but it will be up to the new coach to put together his own staff, York says (via Maiocco on Twitter).
York says the 49ers will “eat” the remainder of Tomsula’s ~$10.5MM remaining salary, Barrows tweets.
Tomsula will be in demand as a defensive line coach, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. I personally believe that it’s hard to see Tomsula getting looked at as a head coaching candidate right now, but anything is possible.
Colin Kaepernick‘s thumb surgery is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday and his full recovery will take three months, Barrows tweets.

Jason Fitzgerald on Kaepernick, Free Agency, Rams

December 19th, 2015 at 9:00am CST by Ben Levine

Jason Fitzgerald of OvertheCap.com answered a variety of questions on Twitter last night. The conversation focused on the upcoming offseason, and the writer did his best to make some early predictions. We’ve compiled the best of them, which you can find below…

Fitzgerald is convinced that the 49ers will be able to trade quarterback Colin Kaepernick. With a maximum $14.3MM cap hit (due to the $1MM savings if the team decides to deactivate him), the writer believes the Eagles could be a good fit for the embattled star.
Among the big-name players who could switch teams in free agency are (according to Fitzgerald) Alex Mack, Matt Forte, Russell Okung, Prince Amukamara, and Lamar Miller.
On the flip, Fitzgerald could imagine several big names being cut loose by their current teams, including Jamaal Charles, Jimmy Graham and DeMarcus Ware.
One of Trumaine Johnson and Janoris Jenkins will be back with the Rams next year, with Fitzgerald predicting an $8MM contract for Jenkins and $6MM for Johnson.
Assuming Marshawn Lynch‘s tenure in Seattle is over, Fitzgerald could envision the Patriots pursuing the running back. However, the writer is uncertain whether New England would have much interest.

49ers Open To Kaepernick Return

December 6th, 2015 at 6:35pm CST by Rory Parks

6:35pm: NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport echoes Schefter’s report, providing more details on the meeting.

“My understanding is Colin Kaepernick sat down with general manager Trent Baalke and discussed among other things potential free agent targets for next year and the plan for 2016, a sign that maybe — just maybe — the 49ers are not done with Kaepernick yet,” Rapoport said on NFL Network’s GameDay Morning (via Kevin Patra of NFL.com). “I’m told he is in their plans for 2016.”

9:22am: Most NFL writers and talking heads believe that the 49ers and quarterback Colin Kaepernick will part ways this offseason. San Francisco appears to be headed towards a rebuilding phase, Kaepernick’s performance has declined precipitously over the last several seasons, and there is plenty of reported interest in Kaepernick’s services among quarterback-needy teams who remain intrigued by the 28-year-old’s upside. Indeed, the majority of articles published over the last several weeks have focused on where Kaepernick will end up in 2016, and San Francisco has not appeared on many of those lists.

But according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), Kaepernick met with team officials last week, and both sides are open to a reunion in 2016. Of course, neither party would publicly foreclose the possibility of a return at this point, but it is interesting to note that there was a meeting between team and player that apparently went well. Both sides were rumored to be looking for a fresh start, and recent reports indicated that the 49ers would continue to dangle Kaepernick in trade talks in the offseason after they were contacted by at least three teams who were interested in acquiring the signal-caller in advance of this year’s trade deadline.

Of course, Kaepernick’s contract situation is a complicating factor in all of this. His $11.9MM salary in 2016 is currently guaranteed for injury only, but it becomes fully guaranteed on April 1, 2016. The shoulder surgery that he underwent on November 24 has a recovery time of four to six months, and if he cannot pass a physical by April 1, the team would be forced to guarantee his salary. If that’s the case, and if a trade is untenable–as at least one national writer believes–then maybe Kaepernick will, in fact, return to the team he starred for not long ago.

West Notes: Osweiler, Reich, Kaepernick

December 4th, 2015 at 11:46am CST by Luke Adams

Although he has just two career starts under his belt, Brock Osweiler‘s success over the past couple weeks has prompted plenty of discussion about how he’ll fit into the Broncos‘ future plans. One high-ranking executive tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today that it’s a good problem for Denver to have, but cautions that “it’ll be very, very difficult to navigate on multiple fronts.”

“They’re the only ones who are going to know if he’s their guy or not,” another NFL exec said. “But if he lights it up, and he thinks he’s your future, and you’ve already been there with him — I won’t say you’re going to pay him top market (value), but you’re going to have to pay him.”

It’s hard to know how much the Broncos will be willing to invest in Osweiler, or how much value he’ll have, before seeing how he finishes the season. But if he plays well down the stretch, he could command in the neighborhood of $15MM per year, that first executive estimates. Considering they’ll want to avoid using the franchise tag on Osweiler instead of Von Miller, the Broncos will be under some pressure to get something done with the quarterback before free agency, assuming they want to extend him.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s West divisions:

Within his column, Pelissero wonders if offensive coordinators will be popular targets for NFL head coaching vacancies this offseason, since many teams with potential openings have young quarterbacks under contract. One possible candidate is Chargers OC Frank Reich, who confirmed to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune that he interviewed with Maryland – his alma mater – about the school’s head coaching job before the Terps decided on D.J. Durkin. “With interviews, if they come and when they come, I want to be selective about those things,” Reich said. “But you never want to take them for granted.”
Matt Bowen and Mike Sando of ESPN.com (Insider link) are the latest to break down potential landing spots for quarterback Colin Kaepernick, in the event that the 49ers part ways with him. Both Bowen and Sando identify the Rams as one possibility.
Former Browns general manager Phil Savage believes Kaepernick would probably draw the most interest around the league if Johnny Manziel, Robert Griffin III, and the 49ers quarterback all become available this offseason, as he tells Mark Maske of the Washington Post.
Center Drew Nowak spoke to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times about being waived by the Seahawks and then re-joining the team’s practice squad.

NFC Notes: Kelly, Kaepernick, Carter, Packers

November 30th, 2015 at 1:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Responding to a Monday report that suggested he met recently with USC officials, Eagles head coach Chip Kelly adamantly denied that such a meeting took place, telling reporters he has had “no contact” with USC or other colleges, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

Kelly had made a habit in the past of shooting down this sort of report, even when it’s hard not to believe that the report is true — for instance, he claimed this spring that he hadn’t had trade talks involving any of his players during the first day of the draft. In this case though, I’m inclined to believe that the details of today’s story – that Kelly met with USC officials in Philadelphia on Friday – are off. Still, it seems unlikely that Kelly or his agent have never spoken to anyone from USC at all, even if it was just to politely turn down an inquiry.

In any case, Kelly isn’t going anywhere for now. As we wait to see if he can get the Eagles back on track after a disastrous Thanksgiving loss, let’s check out some others notes out of Philadelphia and the rest of the NFC….

We’ve heard recently that the Eagles‘ struggles this year actually reflect relatively well on former GM Howie Roseman, who lost control of personnel decisions after the 2014 season. According to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports, perception is shifting outside the Eagles’ building as well, with talk around the league suggesting that Roseman could draw interest elsewhere this winter. As Garafolo writes, it’ll be a delicate situation for owner Jeffrey Lurie, who has a good relationship with Roseman and will likely make an effort to keep him if other clubs come calling.
According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), the 49ers were able to track how much time players spent studying game plans and plays on tablets assigned by the team, and found that Blaine Gabbert studied about four to five times more than Colin Kaepernick did. While Kaepernick’s lack of preparation was an area of concern for the team, players aren’t thrilled with teams’ ability to track their studies, arguing that it may take some players less time than others to learn the same things. According to Cole, there’s a chance the NFLPA could take up the issue with the league.
Having been placed on IR with the designation to return in September, Lions cornerback Alex Carter won’t be activated to the 53-man roster and will remain on IR for the rest of the year, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Carter, selected in the third round by Detroit back in May, will have to wait until 2016 to make his NFL debut.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers admits the Packers need to improve their preparation on offense after losing four of five games, but denied that the club has reached the point where a players-only meeting is required, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. During NBC’s Thanksgiving telecast, Cris Collinsworth alluded to the club holding a players-only meeting, but Rodgers said no such meeting happened.