This counts as a little bit of a development, but not exactly a shocking revelation. San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke told Bay Area media that he expects Colin Kaepernick to be on the roster April 1 when his 2016 base salary comes due. He said the expectation is Kap and Blaine Gabbert will compete for the starting quarterback job. Baalke is meeting with the national media at 7:45 a.m. PT, but in the meantime, he is doing a scrum with Bay Area folks.
I would not expect Baalke to say anything else in this situation. He could have hem'd and haw'd, but for purposes of potentially trading Kaepernick, he is not going to give anything up. We are a little over a month away from April 1, so plenty can change. It is entirely possible Kaepernick sticks around this year. It is also possible the 49ers trade or release him. If the latter happens, I suspect something leaks about Kap wanting out, and things changing over the course of the next month.
The bigger question of course, as Jim Trotter tweeted at Matt Maiocco, is whether or not Kap is on the roster when September 1 arrives. Heck, even the start of training camp would be a useful date to consider. If Kap makes it through the offseason workout program with the 49ers, then I'll be more inclined to think maybe he sticks around. For now, it is worth noting plenty can change.
Annual reminder: What a GM or head coach says in Indy does not matter. Jeff Fisher called Sam Bradford his QB last year here.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) February 24, 2016