It's hard to fathom just how far Colin Kaepernick has fallen, and the 49ers as well. Think back, how sensational he was just two years ago, and three years ago he lead them to the Super Bowl (with help from Alex Smith, and a lot more players) and was one pass away from winning it. All the talk about his arm, his ability to move like a gazelle. Now, he looks like even more of a 'bust" than RG3. But at least Griffin and his supports can point to injuries for much of his problem. Kaepernick has fallen incredibly far. Granted, a lot of this also falls on Trente Baalke, whom I have criticized in the past, but to think that Kaep actually regressed from a couple years ago is startling, and one can't just point fingers at the team. There's been talk for a couple seasons now that he's a gym rat, closed minded, an egotist even, and not much of a student of the game. With some of the very poor throws and decisions he's made earlier, and in the last two games he seems timid, lost even. So, I can't see how that's not at least somewhat true. The startling thought is that Gabbert was considered a bust before arriving in SF.
You can't go back, but if you look at the decision Harbaugh made in keeping Smith on the bench, and sticking with Kaepernick in 2012 - even though they made it to the Super Bowl, it's slowly been downhill ever since. Smith hasn't exactly been lighting the world on fire for an anemic Chiefs team, but he was at his peak his last year in SF, and was a couple plays from taking them to the Super Bowl himself in 2011. After that Baalke dumped Smith, signed Kaep to a monster contract, and you know the rest.
And that leads me to another question, who would trade for Kaepernick? His contract was for six years for $126m, though most links are showing he's not getting the full $19,000,000 a year because of incentives (like, making the playoffs, or SB), but it still looks like he'll be paid $12m this year if he suits up, and future years the number increases. Is he worth that? Which team would pay? The other option is to cut bait. But yikes, that's a lot of money down the drain.
I have to say I agree with the decision to dump Vernon Davis. He hasn't been playing great, is probably near the end of his career, and letting the Broncos pay for him and worry about his future isn't a bad decision for the 49ers.
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