San Francisco 49ers Rumors: Colin Kaepernick Could Return in 2016

After struggling so much he was benched for Blaine Gabbert, and then having surgery in November to fix a shoulder issue that apparently dated back to Week 4, Colin Kaepernick’s time with the San Francisco 49ers seemed sure to come to an end sometime during the coming offseason.

A couple weeks ago, 49ers’ general manager Trent Baalke was unwilling to rule out Kaepernick returning to the team in 2016. Now ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported a positive meeting between the two sides last week.

49ers and Colin Kaepernick met last week and team expressed it’s open to bringing him back, per sources. Door not closed on return to SF.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 6, 2015

Kaepernick’s contract is guaranteed for injury only from here on out, and his $11.9 million salary (after a $2 million de-escalation) for 2016 becomes guaranteed on April 1. With a recovery timetable of 4-6 months after shoulder surgery, if Kaepernick can’t pass a physical on April 1 the 49ers would have to then guarantee his salary. If a trade is rendered difficult by Kaepernick’s recovery, and if San Francisco is on track to guarantee his salary for 2016 anyway, what seems like a inevitable parting of ways may be postponed by a year.

The 49ers are clearly ill-equipped, from a coaching perspective, to get the most out of Kaepernick’s talent. That’s not say he’s without blame for his struggles this year, if news of how little film study he was doing is true, but a change of scenery would benefit Kaepernick greatly if San Francisco’s current coaching staff remains in place.

It’s worth wondering if Kaepernick’s shoulder issue could have been fixed surgically sooner, which would would have virtually eliminated any concerns over his recovery and when his 2016 salary becomes guaranteed. The overall dysfunction in the 49ers’ organization puts me on the side of they’ve done this to themselves, and the Kaepernick situation is just the latest on a list of mishandled situations.

There may be a certain level of appeal in staying with the 49ers next year, and getting paid a lot of fully guaranteed money, even if there’s no chance to re-claim the starting job. But Kaepernick should seek a fresh start looking toward 2016, even if it means requesting he be released before his shoulder is 100 percent healthy.

Brad Berreman is a Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.