NFL Rumors: Colin Kaepernick Leaving San Francisco 49ers For Los Angeles Rams


NFL rumors have been swirling around Colin Kaepernick since the moment that the San Francisco 49ers benched him in favor of Blaine Gabbert. Many have been speculating as to where his next home in the National Football League is going to be. According to SB Nation, there’s a very good chance that Kaepernick takes Interstate 5 from northern California to southern California and signs with the Los Angeles Rams as a free agent.

When Blaine Gabbert was named starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, the belief was that it was only a matter of time before Colin Kaepernick was released from his contract. Once Jim Tomsula was relieved from his duties as the head coach, the Niners started having a change of heart. Management started talking about figuring out a way to get Kaepernick back to the player that he was when San Francisco was routinely challenging for a spot in the Super Bowl.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert
Blaine Gabbert [Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]
The problem for the San Francisco 49ers was that Colin Kaepernick wasn’t interested in sticking around. The belief is that he felt betrayed by the team because they did not protect him enough when he was struggling on the field. A lot of people placed the blame for the down season on the former Nevada Wolf Pack star, and the Niners never really went out of their way to explain that Kaepernick wasn’t the biggest reason why San Francisco was struggling to win games.

Since the NFL is running low on quarterbacks who are capable of starting and excelling in the league, there’s a bigger market for the position than normal. It’s the reason why the Washington Redskins assigned the franchise tag to Kirk Cousins, even though he has yet to prove that he can be successful for more than a season. It is also the same reason the Philadelphia Eagles gave Sam Bradford a $36 million deal after losing out on signing Cousins.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly
Chip Kelly [Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]
Finding a trade partner is going to be a tough task for the San Francisco 49ers. There’s a very good chance that they’re going to realize that soon and simply release Colin Kaepernick so he can jump into the free agency market. As soon as that happens, then Kaepernick and his agent should expect quite a few phone calls from around the NFL. One of those teams will more than likely be the Los Angeles Rams.

The Los Angeles Rams have had their share of problems with the quarterback position as well. The team swapped Sam Bradford to the Philadelphia Eagles for Nick Foles. Management thought Foles was going to be the answer, so they gave him a $24.5 million contract extension. That hasn’t worked out that well. Case Keenum replaced Foles as the starter, and the Rams have already announced that Keenum would be the starter going into the following season.

Los Angeles Rams head coach Jeff Fisher
Jeff Fisher [Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images]
Despite everything that he has gone through, Colin Kaepernick should be able to beat out Case Keenum to be the starting quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams. It would be an uphill battle for Kaepernick because the Rams still need to upgrade their offensive line and find competent NFL-level wide receivers. However, Colin does have the benefit of a strong running game behind Todd Gurley and a dominant defense, which was what he had when he played well for the San Francisco 49ers.

As badly as Chip Kelly and the San Francisco 49ers want to keep Colin Kaepernick around, they know that it’s not a good situation to force someone to stay with your team. Kaepernick believes that the grass is greener elsewhere, so it might not be a bad thing to allow him to sign with the Los Angeles Rams.

[Featured Photo by Michael B Thomas/Getty Images]

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