The 49ers are supposed to meet with Colin Kaepernick soon, as both sides try to determine if the incumbent quarterback is a fit for new coach Kyle Shanahan.
But Shanahan said during an interview on KNBR 680-AM that no matter which quarterback he picks for this year, the goal is to find someone to lead the team for years to come.
“When you make a decision on a quarterback, you don’t want that to just be a short-term fix,” Shanahan said, via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. “You want to make a commitment to somebody. In order to do that, you better make sure you’re on the same page with everyone else and you put the time in, you talk to people who’ve been with these guys.”
Shanahan said he’s exchanged text messages with Kaepernick, but hasn’t met with him personally. But he has been working overtime with new General Manager John Lynch and personnel staffers Adam Peters and Martin Mayhew looking at all their options at the position.
“In order to feel good about a quarterback, I need to spend a lot of time on them,” Shanahan said. “It’s not always the first time you watch them. You might come back the next day, see the same stuff and feel a little different. . . . It’s too important a decision to just make an impulsive move.”
There have been mixed reports as to whether Kaepernick might opt out of his contract — and it’s reasonable to wonder whether the 49ers want to stake themselves to him. The rest of their depth chart (Blaine Gabbert, Christian Ponder, Thad Lewis) is headed for free agency, giving Shanahan a chance at a clean slate.