The first question to Chip Kelly during his Wednesday introductory press conference was about Colin Kaepernick. It was not the last such question, and there will be plenty more quarterback questions the rest of this year, and beyond.
Kelly played his cards close to his chest when asked about the situation. He said he met with Kaepernick, and the quarterback is headed back to Colorado to continue his rehab from three surgeries. Kelly complimented Kap's athleticism and talent, but he also made sure to compliment Blaine Gabbert. He said that having both quarterbacks made this an attractive situation for him.
Kelly has been frequently connected to Kap in the media. There was speculation Kelly has tried to trade for him in the past. He said he was happy with Sam Bradford as his quarterback in Philadelphia, but did not specifically deny the report. But again, quarterback questions are par for the course.
There have been some suggestions that the extra compliments of Gabbert might hint that maybe Kap is in fact out the door at some point. I could see the value in playing up Kap if they wanted to make nice, but I also think it makes sense for the new offensive-minded coach to make sure both quarterbacks know he supports them. We don't know what the QB situation will look like when the offseason workout program begins, let alone next season.
Kelly cannot talk football with his quarterbacks under CBA rules, so this is not exactly a clear cut situation for figuring out the future. I don't read a lot into his choice of including compliments about Gabbert, but obviously it will be there for plenty of over-analysis.. We'll get some more realistic answers later this spring.