When the 49ers made the decision to hire Chip Kelly on Thursday, Colin Kaepernick found out the same way that almost everyone else did: on the Internet.
After a thorough search, Trent & I are thrilled to announce Chip Kelly as the new #HeadCoach of the @49ers
— Jed York (@JedYork) January 14, 2016
According to the San Jose Mercury News, there was zero contact between the 49ers and Kaepernick during the team's 11-day coaching search, which raises questions about Kaepernick's future in San Francisco.
On the surface, it's not that surprising that Kaepernick wasn't contacted during the search. After all, he was benched in November, and before Kelly's hiring, it was widely believed that the team would likely get rid of him before the 2016 season started.
That being said, there's at least two reasons that it's surprising the 49ers didn't let Kaepernick know that Kelly was going to be hired. First, there's this:
#49ers GM Trent Baalke sat down with Colin Kaepernick before the season ended. That olive branch may prove incredibly valuable going forward
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 14, 2016
If 49ers general manager Trent Baalke was really trying to extend an "olive branch," then you'd think he'd have let Kaepernick know that Kelly was going to be hired. The fact that Baalke kept Kaepernick in the dark during the coaching search is likely only going to add to any distrust that already existed between the two men.
The other reason it's surprising that no one told Kaepernick about the hiring is that there's a wide belief that Kelly is a fan of Kaepernick. If that's the case, you'd think Baalke or Jed York would've given Kaepernick a call to say something like, "Hey, you're going to love our new hire, he's a big fan of yours!"
That didn't happen though.
Kaepernick's currently in Colorado where he's rehabbing from surgery. The 49ers quarterback underwent two operations on Jan. 6: One on his right thumb and one on his left knee.
So does Kaepernick have a future in San Francisco?
That question should slightly clear up next week when Kelly holds his introductory press conference. Kelly will definitely be asked about Kaepernick, and if he speaks highly of the quarterback, that's good news for the 28-year-old.
If Kaepernick's still on the 49ers roster on April 1, his $11.9 million salary for 2016 becomes fully guaranteed, and he'll almost definitely be on the roster if Kelly likes him.
