When new coach Kyle Shanahan and General Manager John Lynch begun the reconstruction of the 49ers, one of their first moves will be to find a quarterback.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, 49ers starter Colin Kaepernick is opting out of his deal and will become an unrestricted free agent. According to Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News, he can’t officially make the move until March 2, but the new management structure won’t change his decision.
Kaepernick and the 49ers restructured his contract last fall, clearing the way for him to resume starting in place of Blaine Gabbert.
In the deal, Kaepernick gave up the $14.5 million in injury guarantees in exchange for a shot at the open market sooner. His original deal was set to run through 2020, and it’s hard to know if Shanahan and/or Lynch would even be interested in him.
But there ought to be a market for him, as he played reasonably well on a poor team, with 16 touchdowns and just four interceptions in 12 games.