San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) warms up before an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Adam WellsFeatured ColumnistFebruary 22, 2017

As speculation continues to grow about Colin Kaepernick‘s future, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback visited the team’s headquarters on Wednesday for a meeting with new general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan. 

During a radio appearance on KNBR’s Fitz and Brooks (via Jake Montero of KNBR.com) after the meeting, Lynch seemed encouraged by the meeting: 

I would characterize it as just a really positive discussion. I do think that there are some things that are sacred. We did have a great discussion and I think Colin left excited and we left excited.

And I think as Kyle and I believe, the evaluation process is still very much fluid. We’ve only been on the job a couple of weeks and I can tell you we both very much enjoyed being around Colin, and he seems like he’s [in] a real good place.

The meeting between Kaepernick and San Francisco’s new regime has been brewing for some time. Lynch first mentioned it during his introductory press conference alongside Shanahan with the team on February 9.

“Colin reached out, and we plan on visiting,” Lynch said, via ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner. “That’s something Kyle and I committed to. Kyle spoke to that in order to find out what you need you have to first really take inventory of what you have.”

While Lynch came out of today’s meeting feeling optimistic, there’s still the matter of Kaepernick’s contract. ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reported on February 3 the 29-year-old is expected to opt out of his deal next month and become an unrestricted free agent.

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If Kaepernick does opt out of his deal, the 49ers won’t have a quarterback under contract. Blaine Gabbert and Christian Ponder are also due to become free agents. 

Kaepernick did have a solid bounce-back season, at least statistically, in 2016. He threw for 2,241 yards with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions in 12 games.

His completion percentage of 59.2 remains an issue, but without a clear better option to choose from outside of the draft or trade, the 49ers may be tempted to try keeping him around for another year or two while they develop another player. 

The 49ers are in a unique position heading into next season. Lynch and Shanahan are almost literally starting from scratch with a talent-depleted roster coming off a 2-14 season, owning the No. 2 pick in April’s draft and having $78.7 million in cap space, per Over The Cap.

It’s a long rebuilding project that Lynch and Shanahan have been tasked with, but they have various tools at their disposal to play with in order to make it happen. 

About the Author: Insidethe49

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