It's been 10 years since former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick last played in the NFL. Yet, he is still a topic of conversation, and longtime Bay Area columnist Scott Ostler just interviewed Kaepernick in the San Francisco Standard.
It is well worth a read here.
One nugget that stood out from the interview highlighted the dynamic between Kaepernick, former 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, and former general manager Trent Baalke. Kaepernick spoke about how he felt Baalke was never a fan of his and also thought Alex Smith should be the starter over him.
Additionally, Kaepernick shared that when he expressed a desire to go to the NFL Scouting Combine with Harbaugh to look at prospective draft talent in 2014, Baalke axed the idea even though Harbaugh was on board.
Then, Kaepernick finished by saying of Baalke:
"Those kind of things, I would say, are manipulative tactics. I don't think they're beneficial for anybody. I know other players had issues [with Baalke] as well. I don't view him as a good person."
Colin Kaepernick's Trent Baalke comments are awfully damning
Now, it's not exactly breaking news to Niners fans that Baalke is an unlikable fellow. He was incredibly polarizing during his tenure with San Francisco, and his butting heads with Harbaugh is what eventually led to the "mutual parting of ways" that was really just the 49ers forcing Harbaugh out, even though he had done nothing but win since taking over as head coach.
Perhaps it is not a coincidence the Niners have had quite a bit of success since Baalke was let go in 2017, and the Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch regime began. Those two are an example of what a healthy and stable head coach-GM pairing should look like, whereas the Harbaugh-Baalke tandem was just an oil and water combination that was always bound to blow up at some point.
This latest Baalke revelation is just a reminder that he has no place in the NFL. He went to the Jacksonville Jaguars after his ouster in San Francisco and became so toxic there that the only way Liam Coen agreed to take the job as head coach was if Baalke got let go.
Now, Baalke is a consultant for the Cleveland Browns organization, which probably shouldn't come as a shock that a franchise so backwards and perpetually bad still puts stock in things that Baalke has to say.
At least he will likely never be a GM in the NFL again, but Kaepernick's interview is just another reminder of what a toxic environment Baalke created.
Now there is still plenty of drama with the 49ers, from car crashes to prostitution stings, but it has nothing to do with a toxic environment created by the front office, which is why this stretch of Niners success has been so much more sustainable than the short-lived Harbaugh years.
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