What if Colin Kaepernick Loses Starting Quarterback Battle to Blaine Gabbert?
By Peter Panacy
San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert are set to duke it out for the starting job under center this season. Head coach Chip Kelly may have a tough choice to make, but what if Kap ends up losing out on the competition after the preseason concludes?
Nothing is ever guaranteed in the NFL, and neither Colin Kaepernick nor Blaine Gabbert are guaranteed to have the San Francisco 49ers’ starting quarterback job in Week 1 of the 2016 season.
Competition is a good thing. It forces anyone participating to produce at a maximum level. So, one would think, this “friendly” competition between Kaepernick and Gabbert should produce the best result possible, right?
Well, not so fast. Regardless who wins out, the 49ers aren’t going to be locked into the notion that either Kap or Gabbert is a long-term option under new head coach Chip Kelly.
But there’s more. More in the immediate discussion. What happens at the start of the regular season? What if Gabbert, not Kaepernick, is pegged as the Niners’ guy under center?
We know this — Kaepernick has already been thrown under the bus by the organization. Anyone paying attention to the 49ers in 2015 already knew that. And it shouldn’t be surprising Kaepernick requested a trade this offseason.
Yes, last year was Kap’s worst. And it may be the indication of what’s turned into a dwindling, once-promising career.
Or, perhaps, there’s a resurrection on the horizon with Kelly at the helm. Who knows?
A lot of these questions will be answered in training camp and the preseason. The direct competition between Kaepernick and Gabbert will be one of the hotter stories to watch as Week 1 draws near.
Some already feel as if the winner is already set.
Earlier this offseason, NFL analyst Mike Silver (h/t Dan Hanzus of NFL.com) stated Gabbert was the “heavy favorite” to win the competition. Silver based his argument largely on Gabbert’s locker room presence.
And Bleacher Report’s Mike Tanier backed up the claim saying, “Gabbert wins, folks. Don’t bother tracking completion percentages during training camp.”
What then?
Let’s just assume Gabbert wins out, as predicted by Silver and Tanier. How does Kaepernick handle yet another blow to his already regressing image?
Kap will say all the right things, of course. Just like he did when asked whether or not things have been odd with the front office following his trade request (h/t Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News):
But the lines between on-field decisions and the business of football are blurred here. Kaepernick could easily realize the best situation, without doubt now, is somewhere other than in Santa Clara. He probably wouldn’t place any blame on Kelly or Gabbert, but the situation would probably reach a higher boiling point than what it was before.
Here’s where things get a little weird. Kap could wind up as the No. 2 guy, holding the clipboard on the sidelines and quietly grumbling about how ugly things have gotten with the 49ers, all the while, saying what he needs to say about the team, winning and so on.
Sure, Kap could easily realize Gabbert’s hold on the No. 1 job isn’t set in stone. He could lose it at any point over the season — just like Kaepernick did in the middle of last year.
In comes Kaepernick to the rescue, right?
Maybe. But the 49ers could be viewing training camp and the preseason as Kaepernick’s last shot with the franchise. If he fails to make the jump over Gabbert, it’s likely Kaepernick’s market value wouldn’t be any lower than it is at that point.
Still, the Niners could attempt a trade, right? Perhaps the New York Jets’ quarterbacking dilemma stays just as ugly over the coming weeks. And maybe the Denver Broncos’ own situation under center — Mark Sanchez and rookie Paxton Lynch — doesn’t prove to be worth the pain for the defending Super Bowl champs.
Both teams were rumored to be in the Kap-trade sweepstakes earlier this offseason too.
The 49ers wouldn’t get much in return though. The value, at this point in Kaepernick’s regression, just isn’t that high. And it’s altogether possible the Niners place Kap on some sort of injury list to start the season — citing his offseason surgeries didn’t work out as well as planned — or something like that.
Weird enough? It gets even more complicated.
Enter rookie quarterback and sixth-round pick Jeff Driskel. True, the 49ers probably don’t have any plans to work Driskel into a rotation this season. But, if San Francisco actually views him as a long-term project, the Niners may not want to risk placing him on waivers in order to land him on the practice squad this season.
It could happen. It’s hard to guess any team out there is lining up to wait for Driskel and what the 49ers do with him after the preseason. But what if the Niners want to save a roster spot for their rookie QB? Does that make Kaepernick even more expendable?
Probably not. But it definitely adds some mud to the waters.
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Regardless what happens, things are going to get very weird and awkward in Santa Clara if Kaepernick doesn’t secure the starting job.
He’s already behind, due to the surgeries, in offseason programs. And if Silver and Tanier are right, the decision is made already.
And, as has already been the case with San Francisco so much this offseason, answers have only led to even more questions.
Next: Predicting 49ers Depth Chart Before Training Camp
All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated.