49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is headed to Colorado this week to have his surgically-repaired left shoulder checked out by his surgeon, but that won’t be the only thing doctors are checking out during his visit.
A recent MRI found that Kaepernick also has a torn ligament in his right thumb, which led team doctors to tell Kaepernick to “make sure I get a second opinion on that” during his visit to Vail. Kaepernick may need surgery to repair that injury and also has a left knee issue that needs a follow-up MRI in the near future, leaving him with plenty of medical issues to sort out.
There’s also the contract issue. If Kaepernick is on the 49ers roster on April 1, his salary for 2016 is guaranteed and the assorted injuries he’s recovering from probably don’t help the odds that the team will be able to trade him ahead of that date. General Manager Trent Baalke wouldn’t say either way on Monday.
“I’m not worried about April 1, to be honest with you,” Baalke said, via the San Jose Mercury News. “I’m more worried about getting him healthy and ready for the offseason program. Whatever that date is that the medical staff steps up and says he’s ready to go, that’s when he’ll go.”
The question may be which team’s medical staff is making that decision when it comes time for Kaepernick to try to get on the field.