There's a silver lining in the 49ers' teetering on the brink of elimination for postseason play so early in the 2015 season.
They can begin to plan their rebuild for 2016 -- without quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Kurt Warner Getting Blamed For Colin Kaepernick's Horrible Start To 2015
Kaepernick has $31 million in guarantees left on his contract, but only if he sustains an injury, Sportsnaut reported.
San Francisco is 2-5 on the season, and a drastic turnaround seems unlikely given the condition of the team's offense. The website suggested that San Francisco take a page out of the Redskins' overpaid quarterback playbook and bench Kaepernick to ensure his health.
Colin Kaepernick Could Be Heading Down Same Path As RGIII
Washington has benched quarterback Robert Griffin III to keep him healthy so it doesn't have to pay him the $16.2 million it would owe him if he were to get hurt, as CNN reports. Otherwise, the Redskins can unload Griffin's contract without paying him another dime.
Similarly, the 49ers can get out from underneath Kaepernick's contract as long as he doesn't get hurt, which is a much safer bet if he isn't playing. Because of the team-friendly, seven-year, $126 million contract Kaepernick signed before the start of the 2014 season, the 49ers can cut him before April 1 in any season and not owe him any more money.
"Much of the blame falls to the 49ers for setting him up to fail, as pointed out recently by Boomer Esiason," Sportsnaut reported. "However, regardless of where the blame lies, one thing is becoming clearer and clearer: Kaepernick isn't going to be the starting quarterback for San Francisco in 2016.
"We all know Blaine Gabbert isn't going to perform at a high level facing the same pressure Kap has seen, but the season is already lost, so it matters not.
"The organization's biggest concern as it relates to Kaepernick at this point is keeping him healthy. With that in mind, it's time to make the hard decision to bench him for the rest of the year."
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