Jed York believes Colin Kaepernick’s time with the San Francisco 49ers is far from over. Not only that, he’s excited about a “fresh start” for the quarterback and says there is “no question” Kaepernick can earn back his starting job as the starter in Chip Kelly’s offense.
Speaking on the “Rich Eisen Show” on Thursday, the 49ers owner spoke in glowing terms about the embattled quarterback. He referenced the fact that San Francisco has the third-most salary cap in the league and made it known the team can easily absorb Kaepernick’s $15.9 million cap hit.
“We want Colin to get back healthy as soon as possible. We want to make sure that he’s able to take the field whenever he’s available,” York said. “And we’ve all seen what Colin can do. Taking us to a Super Bowl, an NFC Championship game the year after. He’s had a great career here. Obviously last year wasn’t a great year for any of us in red and gold.
“And I think Chip is going to be a great addition, not just for Kap, but for the rest of the team. I’m excited to see where it goes.”
York isn’t the only one who is excited to see where this goes for Kaepernick. Opposing defensive coaches have made some interesting comments about the Kelly/Kap combo, with one defensive coordinator saying, “That offense is straight ‘Freddy Krueger’ when you have a quarterback who can pull the ball and run at any given time.”
Kaepernick is currently recovering from two surgeries — one on his knee and one on his thumb — but could be healthy in time to participate in team OTAs next spring. When asked if the quarterback could earn his starting job back from Blaine Gabbert, York didn’t hesitate to throw his support behind the signal-caller:
“There’s no question in my mind,” York replied. “I’ve always had a very, very high opinion of Kap. Kap’s a great kid, he’s done a lot of great things for us. And again, this is a fresh start for everybody.”
It’s not yet known if Kelly is as jazzed about Kap as York seems to be. He was non-committal when asked about how Kaepernick fits into his offense recently and instead made some odd (and incorrect) comments about the CBA prohibiting him from speaking on the topic.
Still, given Kaepernick’s mobility, his experience and the fact that he has had some pretty impressive success in the NFL, it’s not crazy to think he could not only earn back the starting job but truly thrive in Kelly’s offense. There are questions about his accuracy and decision-making, but Kelly can easily protect the quarterback early on by relying on pace and making the decision-making process simple.
Kaepernick could very well have a huge comeback year in 2016 playing for Kelly. At least we know his owner is excited about the possibility, if nothing else.