SANTA CLARA — Colin Kaepernick warmly greeted the media by his locker Wednesday, offering plenty more political commentary on Muslims, Donald Trump, President Obama and why other players will be reluctant to kneel alongside him during the Star-Spangled Banner.
But some wily reporters (me) tried steering the conversation back towards football.
How did Kaepernick react to hearing the news that he won’t be starting the football season out on the field? And what does he have to do to get on it?
“I have to wait my time and work,” Kaepernick said. “I mean I’ve been in this position before. Last time I was in this position, I ended up in the Super Bowl. I continue to work and prepare for when that next opportunity comes.”
As refreshing as it was to talk football with Kaepernick instead of world issues, let’s pump the brakes on the Super Bowl talk, Kap. Nobody else in the 49ers locker room has remotely thought about mentioning the Super Bowl. An 8-8 season would be stunning and could put Chip Kelly in coach of the year consideration. Although it was probably intended for personal motivation, the Super Bowl comment kind of felt like it was out of left field. Kind of like any time we get to talk football now with Kaepernick.
Of course, Kaepernick famously barged onto the scene in 2012 after spending a season and a half backing up Alex Smith. When Smith went down with an injury, Jim Harbaugh elevated Kaepernick as the starter and never looked back. The 49ers tore through the NFC and advanced to the Super Bowl, where they eventually lost to the Ravens.
Four seasons later, here we are. By no means are Kaepernick’s political convictions ruffling the locker room anymore. He’s invited these discussions and now has a global platform to communicate with someone like President Obama. But the point is that Kaepernick’s relationship with the media is now that of an activist, and not a football player. Make whatever you want of that, but if he’s named the starting quarterback, the conversation from his direction will have to be much more focused on the 49ers and not America. Is he going to be willing to sacrifice his worldwide podium to earn back the starting job? Kap doesn’t dictate the questions that come his way, but that could be an ultimatum presented by the organization should they hand back over the keys. He can open up a press conference saying I’m here to talk football. But while he’s the backup, he’s choosing not to.
The next burning question: When exactly will Kap see the field? Offensive coordinator Curtis Modkins watched the film of Kaepernick’s preseason performance against the Chargers, and for the most part, liked what he saw.
“Kap has a history of being really good in this league and doing some good things,” Modkins said. “You know, as he continues to get strength and stronger, you know, I think in this league you need more than one good quarterback and we’re very fortunate that we do have him and Blaine. So, you know, we’ll see where that goes.”
Modkins brings up a debatable point about Kaepernick’s health. By default, his two-week arm fatigue cost him a chance at winning the starting job. The 49ers weren’t even willing to let him start Week 3 of the preseason against the Packers because he had so much time away. Had it been a dead-even heat between he and Blaine Gabbert, Kaepernick’s prior history of success might’ve been the deciding factor. Kelly said he was giving everyone a clean slate, right? We’ve argued Gabbert’s leash will be short, but complicated.
But for now, the only time we’ll see and hear from Kaepernick is once a week in the locker room, and during the national anthem. Whether you deem it good or not, conversations with Kaepernick continue to revolve around fixing the issues in America, and not about football.