With Colin Kaepernick on IR , the embattled quarterback appears to be done with the San Francisco 49ers, according to a report from NBC Sports .
Life can turn upside down on you pretty quickly.
It wasn’t too long ago that Kaepernick was one of the hottest stars in the NFL. He replaced Alex Smith, a solid but not spectacular player, as the starting quarterback for the Niners and never looked back. Led by fiery head coach Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco was once again a football powerhouse. They were on the verge of winning the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1990s.
Then, everything collapsed on Kaepernick and the 49ers. Harbaugh left for the University of Michigan, his alma mater, due to a power struggle with Niners general manager Trent Baalke. Several of their top stars, including Patrick Willis, Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree and Justin Smith left the franchise for one reason for another. The burden of carrying the franchise weighed on Kaepernick even more so than before.
Without a dominant offensive line, a strong running game and a smother defense, Kaepernick found it difficult to guide the team. The former University of Nevada, Reno quarterback appeared to have regressed on the field, even though he spent the summer learning from Super Bowl winner, Kurt Warner. Kaepernick was unable to succeed in the unimaginative system designed by offensive coordinator Geep Chryst.
For weeks, fans and the media called for Kaepernick’s head. He had grown to become the butt of jokes on all the social media websites. Concerned that he was going to join the list of head coaches who only lasted a season in the NFL, Jim Tomsula had to pull the trigger. He reluctantly announced that the 49ers were going with Blaine Gabbert as their new starting quarterback.
There were times where it appeared that Kaepernick was going to be back on the field for San Francisco. A really bad game by Gabbert would have enabled that to happen. Tomsula kept refusing to embrace Gabbert as his long-term starter, so Kaepernick fans still believed that there was a chance. The glimmering of hope was still there at the time.
Well, now, that hope is gone.
The Niners announced today that Kaepernick is going on the Injured Reserve list. It is a season ending list, which means he is ineligible to play until the 2016 season. The explanation given is that Kaepernick informed team management that he wanted to have surgery. The fact that it was for his non-throwing shoulders caused many to believe that there are ulterior motives for the move.
It is often humiliating for a starting quarterback to lose his job. Former Washington Redskins starter Robert Griffin III knows the feeling really well. He’s simply waiting for the season to end so that his agent can find him a new home in the NFL. Kaepernick is in the same boat but he likely does not want to stand on the sidelines while millions stare and mock at him.
For the Niners, this definitely means there will be a new quarterback in town next season. Free agency and the NFL Draft will surely be the route that San Francisco takes. Gabbert will be given a chance, but it is imperative for the franchise to bring in someone to compete with him.
The Kaepernick era in San Francisco has come to an end.
[Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]
