One of the anticipated highlights of the 2016 preseason could be a mirage. Seems some believe the San Francisco 49ers quarterback battle is already decided.
Head coach Chip Kelly has said on multiple occasions that he’s anxious to see what he has to work with in Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert. Both have starting experience and considerable physical talent. They’re also both very athletic, able to create offense with their legs, which is something he never really had in Philadelphia. At first glance it looked like a Kelly-Kaepernick pairing was a match made in heaven, people having flashbacks to those dynamic Oregon offenses in college that dazzled defenses every week.
However, those images may have been little more than fleeting dreams of a lost opportunity.
According to Bleacher Report, the 49ers tipped their hand as to the plan for Kaepernick when they tried to trade him, and the situation was sealed by his health situation.
"“The 49ers quarterback controversy is over. Blaine Gabbert beat out Colin Kaepernick for the starting job. Largely by default. It’s all over but the formalities. And Chip Kelly isn’t disappointed. In fact out, it has worked out almost as well as he wanted it to. Kaepernick, who is recovering from shoulder, thumb and knee surgeries, won’t be cleared to participate in minicamp this week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the capstone of OTAs and his one chance to really make an on-field impression before training camp.Kaepernick was supposed to be full-go by this point in the offseason. Just what is sidelining him—one of the three injuries, some combination of all of them, a mutual decision by Kaepernick and the 49ers to seek trade partners instead of going through this “competition” charade—has not been revealed.”"
Lots of times it’s the horse that gets out of the gates first that wins the race. Not only did Blaine Gabbert finish 2015 reasonably well (threw for 290+ yards three times and 63.13 completion percentage) but he’s healthy and been working since the off-season began. Chip Kelly has seen more of him than Kaepernick and the longer that goes on, the more comfortable he’ll get with the idea that Gabbert can be the guy for this 2016 season.
There may still be time to change that if Kaepernick is invested in getting his job back, but based on his persistent wishes to be traded and how things fell apart after Jim Harbaugh left, the likelihood is remote at best.