A quarterback on a team that failed to earn a playoff spot undergoing surgery in early January usually isn’t that newsworthy.
This is until we realize said quarterback needs to be 100 percent healthy by the time his April 1 physical is conducted in order for his team to avoid paying out a massive amount of guaranteed money.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is reportedly headed back to the The Steadman Clinic in Colorado — the site of his surgery for a torn labrum late last year — to repair a torn ligament in his right hand:
Per source: #49ers Colin Kaepernick will undergo surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right hand tomorrow morning.
— Mindi Bach (@MBachSports) January 6, 2016
This could complicate San Francisco’s off-season plans a great deal.
Kaepernick was benched in favor of Blaine Gabbert after a disastrous performance against the St. Louis Rams in Week 8. He was then placed on season-ending injured reserve.
Seemingly already out the door in San Francisco after multiple reports suggested that the team’s brass lost faith in him, Kaepernick is set to make $11.9 million in base salary next season — money that’s guaranteed for injury only.
This was one of the many team-friendly aspects of the six-year, $114 million extension he signed with the 49ers back in 2014.
It now appears that the structure of said deal could force San Francisco to keep Kaepernick on the roster as a pretty darn expensive backup.
This scenario would potentially put the team in the same situation as the Washington Redskins were this year with Robert Griffin III, who was a healthy inactive for a vast majority of their games.
Ligament injuries usually require a lengthy rehab before a player is cleared for football activity. That’s only magnified with this injury having occurred on Kaepernick’s throwing hand.
If the veteran is not able to pass the physical on April 1, he will be guaranteed that entire $11.9 million in base salary.
The other thing to look at here is San Francisco’s coaching search. It has been linked to Mike Shanahan (more here) and Hue Jackson (more here), both of whom have expressed interest in working with Kaepernick.
As it relates to Jackson, he wanted the Oakland Raiders to select the quarterback when he was the team’s head coach back in 2011.
All this leads to the obvious conclusion that Kaepernick’s departure from San Francisco is nowhere near as imminent as it was just a few short weeks ago.
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