Despite all the fuss and hoopla concerning Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest, he will be sticking around this fall for Chip Kelly and the San Francisco 49ers.
The team announced their final roster on Saturday and Kaepernick made the list. Kelly says he will be backing up Blaine Gabbert in the season opener.
#49ers Chip Kelly: Right now Blaine is No. 1 and will start vs. the Rams. Kap is No. 2. Only ones to be active on game day.
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) September 3, 2016
The 49ers trimmed down their roster to get the league maximum of 53 players. With Kaepernick making the cut, the odd man out ended up being rookie Jeff Driskel. Though Kaepernick had a rough preseason, just focusing on the on-field performance, Kelly always seemed to be in favor of having him on the roster. Perhaps Kelly feels he can fix Kaepernick, even if that has yet to happen.
As many football experts will note, this presents some interesting questions about the future of the San Francisco payroll. If Kaepernick plays and gets injured, his 2017 base salary of $14.5 million would automatically become guaranteed. Perhaps that is a worst-case scenario, but given how quarterbacks have been dropping like flies it’s a situation that’s possible. Kaepernick is also due a bonus of $125,000 for each game he is on the active roster for the 49ers, regardless of whether he plays or not.
The Niners will also have to weather the PR storm concerning the Santa Clara police union, who have threatened to boycott working San Francisco’s home games.
This damn Chip Kelly. How in the hell is Kaepernick a backup to Blsine Gabbert. I can't wait for @FirstTake on Monday. I just can't wait.
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) September 3, 2016
One of the downfalls and criticisms of Kelly during his time in Philadelphia was how much power he was given. Kelly was overmatched when it came to making general manager decisions. Even today (literally), the Eagles are cleaning up the mess left behind during the three years under Kelly.
Could San Francisco be going down a similar path? Or is this all part of a plan that will help resurrect Kaepernick’s playing career?
Regardless, looks like those Kaepernick jerseys are going to keep selling like wildfire.
