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San Francisco 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick Resumes Throwing, Trade Unlikely

By Scott Seningen
Published on: 03:47 PST, May 4, 2016

It no longer appears that the San Francisco 49ers will be trading quarterback Colin Kaepernick. With no trade materializing prior to the NFL draft, and the 49ers only selecting a quarterback in the sixth-round when they took Jeff Driskel out of Louisiana Tech, it appears that the story around when and where Kaepernick would be traded has withered.

As reported by Matt Barrows on the Sacramento Bee, Colin Kaepernick has also resumed throwing a bit, according to a league source. Kaepernick had offseason surgery on his non-throwing shoulder, his throwing-hand thumb, and knee, according to Kevin Patra on the NFL website. Colin continues to rehab, and it now appears he will have the opportunity to compete for the 49ers’ starting QB job, along with Blaine Gabbert. Patra also reports that Kaepernick is expected to receive full clearance at the end of May or early June, after resuming weight training last month.

Although he was not throwing the football at the time, Kaepernick did appear on the field at the 49ers’ minicamp in late April.

It was thought by many, at one point, that Kaepernick was bound to become a member of the Denver Broncos. With Peyton Manning riding off into the sunset following his second Super Bowl victory, the heir-apparent in Denver had become Mark Sanchez. A trade with the Eagles earlier this year had brought the recent Philadelphia backup quarterback to Denver. John Elway recently told Sports Illustrated‘s Peter King that he thought Colin Kaepernick was close to becoming a Bronco, as recounted on the MMQB website.

“With Colin, I thought we were really close. That one surprised me a little.”

It was reported in the Sacramento Bee that the Broncos wanted Kaepernick to take a “significant” pay cut in 2016 and 2017. That was evidently not something with which Colin was comfortable. Elway and his team recently traded up in the NFL draft to select quarterback Paxton Lynch out of Memphis. That move eliminated the chance that the team would go after Kaepernick.

Kaepernick, a former second-round draft pick out of the University of Nevada, endeared himself to San Francisco fans in 2012, when he filled in for starter Alex Smith, who suffered a concussion. In Week 11, against the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, Kaepernick led the 49ers to a 32-7 win. Head coach Jim Harbaugh was also a fan of Kaepernick’s play, and Colin became the starter for the remainder of the 2012 season. Making the most of his opportunity, Kaepernick guided the 49ers through the NFC playoffs en route to the Super Bowl. In doing so, he set the 49ers postseason rushing record, as well as the NFL single-game record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a playoff game.

In 2013, Kaepernick’s first full regular season, Colin led his team to a 12-4 record, while throwing for 3,197 yards and 21 touchdowns, according to Pro-Football-Reference. Colin’s efforts in 2012 and 2013 earned him a new contract in 2014. In June, 2014, Kaepernick signed a six-year contract extension. Although Kaepernick had a decent season in 2014, throwing for 3,369 yards and 19 touchdowns, the 49ers went 8-8 and did not make the playoffs.

2015 saw Kaepernick play for a new head coach in Jim Tomsula. Kaepernick struggled throughout the season and in Week 9, Blaine Gabbert took over as the starter for San Francisco, leading to a quarterback controversy and the current situation.

[Photo by Paul Sakuma/AP Images]

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