NFL Rumors: San Francisco 49ers Focus on Blaine Gabbert, Jarryd Hayne; Chip Kelly Takes Off Colin Kaepernick From Spotlight

By Mitch de Leon
Colin Kaepernick is San Francisco 49ers' quarterback.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has voiced his interest to leave his current team and move to the New York Jets next season. Twitter/@NYDNSports

The San Francisco 49ers and Colin Kaepernick have been battling it out throughout the NFL season and offseason to make both parties happy. However, it looks like nothing is getting settled. With the Cleveland Browns signing Robert Griffin III to replace Johnny Manziel and the Denver Broncos securing ex-Philadelphia Eagles star Mark Sanchez to remedy the exit of both Brock Osweiler and Peyton Manning, Kaepernick is running out of places to go. At the moment, the potential landing spot for him is the New York Jets where he would still need to fight off Geno Smith to take over the place of Ryan Fitzpatrick if the latter chooses to leave. With all these in mind, what's next for Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers?

Recent reports noted that Chip Kelly, who exited the Philadelphia Eagles following his rumored botched management of talents like DeMarco Murray and Sam Bradford, is now choosing to focus on other San Francisco 49ers stars. To be specific, the head coach is looking into the potential of backup and subsequent starter Blaine Gabbert and Australian star Jarryd Hayne.

"We get time to see them, meet them, talk football with them and then you get that minicamp so you actually get to get on the field and see them run around so you can make an assessment of everybody," said Kelly of the players. At the moment, the San Francisco 49ers have yet to make an official comment regarding the possibility of re-signing the Hayne Plane in the 53-man roster. Although the Australian star struggled in the previous NFL season, Hayne is optimistic about his capacity to eventually master the ropes of the football community.

Another pressing matter is the issue of Gabbert and Kaepernick. "[I'm] impressed with Blaine," shared Kelly.

He added, "You watch him the last couple of games he started. He's another guy, you look at his skill set. He took off against the Bears and went [44] yards for a touchdown. He ran 4.61 in the Combine when he was coming out. He's big. I'd never really dealt with Blaine because he came into the league before I came into the league, but just how big and physical and impressive he is. He's a 6-4, 245-pound guy that can really run. I thought the last part of the season he played really well. It'll be intriguing to work with him, too."

When asked to comment on the possibility of competition between Kaepernick and Gabbert if the former chooses to stay with the San Francisco 49ers, Kelly provided no clear response on the future of either player. As for Trent Baalke, the general manager also sidestepped any discussion involving Kaepernick. He shared that the San Francisco 49ers are currently "focused on some other things."

"I think there's competition everywhere," commented Kelly on the possible rivalry between Gabbert and Kaepernick. He added, "We haven't seen anybody regarding our staff working with them. Day 1 it's a blank slate for the entire group. Let's get out there and run around and see where it is."

Kelly further noted, "I think the biggest misconception that people don't realize with Kap is just injuries," Kelly said. "It's not like his skillset diminished. He went on injured reserve last year, so he was only available for eight games. He was legitimately injured."

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