Get 49ers news in your inbox. Sign up now for the free 49ers HQ newsletter.

Former 49ers general manager Trent Baalke surfaced on multiple Canadian radio stations Thursday. Colin Kaepernick was a hot topic across the border and Baalke was widely supportive of his former quarterback’s past actions on and off the field.

Baalke has kept a low profile since his January 2017 dismissal from the 49ers. He has been living in Wisconsin and working in various capacities with the NFL’s operations department.

With Thursday marking the start of the league season, Baalke appeared on stations in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal before they broadcasted the Philadelphia Eagles-Atlanta Falcons opener.

Here are select highlights from those interviews, starting with his on 1040 TSN Vancouver:

Was Kaepernick’s plan to make things in society better?

“Yeah, I think his heart’s in the right place. I think a lot of people’s hearts are in the right place. You’ve seen a lot of different players go about it different ways. We can all take a side and say that’s not right, he should have done this. At the end of the day, the focus needs to be on what we’re trying to accomplish as individuals. We want a better place. We want a safer place.”

On Kaepernick’s quest for social equality remaining a big story two years later:

“At the end of the day, we all want the same thing: we want a better world, we want a better place. If we make that the focus and we worry more about what we can do as individuals, as corporations – whether that’s the NFL or any other corporation – to make this a better place for all of us, then we all win, and I think that’s the goal.”

On the 49ers’ 2011-13 playoff seasons?

“Kap did an awfully nice job for us. Things didn’t work out toward the tail end of his career in San Francisco – for him or I. We fell on hard times. It’s never one person’s fault. You don’t win because of one person. You don’t lose because of one person. There are a lot of things that go into building a team. At the end of the day, we just didn’t get it done the last two years that I was there.”

Are you surprised he didn’t catch on to another team?

“The thing that I look at is everybody has a decision-maker in their building. Sometimes it’s the owner. Sometimes it’s the general manager. Sometimes it’s the coach. Usually it’s a combination of the three. Somehow, some way, you make a decision. You do that by watching film. All you’ve got as a player is your resume, and the resume is the film. Everyone that looks at the film has to say, can this guy help in the system? Is he a system fit, No. 1? Can we win with him, No. 2? What’s he do to the roster if we add this individual, whether it’s Kap or somebody else? There’s a lot of things you look at. But the bottom line is you look at the film. I can’t speak for the 32 teams and their decision makers what they’re seeing when they look at the film of the last couple years that Kap was playing.”

Would you worry as a GM about the media distraction by signing Kaepernick?

“That obviously goes into the equation. Anytime you’re adding anybody to the team, and I’m not just speaking about Kap, I’m speaking in generalities – what are the positives, what are the negatives? If we make this decision, how does this impact us in the locker room and off the field as well. You’re trying to eliminate distractions. For me to say that doesn’t exist, that would be a half-truth to a non-truth. It certainly has to factor in and it does when we make decisions as general manager. It’s something being discussed in every building every time you make a decision to add or subtract a player.”

Do the 49ers have their quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo?

“He’s got all the makings. He’s got a quick release. He’s super smart. He’s accurate. He’s a quick decision-maker. He can throw into tight windows. He’s got a nice ball. He’s got all the makings, but you’ve got to do it. One year doesn’t make a quarterback, just like seven games doesn’t make a quarterback. Those guys we’re talking about with Brady and Brees, they’ve done it from Day 1 through their career, and it’s taken awhile to get to their stature.

“It’s no different for Garoppolo. All the signs are positive. Now he’s got to go do it, and do it for a year, then next year string another year on top of it, then if he does that, you’re talking about him long term. Right now, he’s got to step out in a big environment and produce on a weekly basis.”

How challenging is the anthem issue this year?

“In my role in the league office, I’m not involved in that. I’m not privy to the discussions going on within the league office. It’s certainly something front and center, and it’s in the news on a daily basis. I’m sure it’s being discussed at the highest levels and they’re trying to work out a solution.”

* * *

Here is are excerpts from his TSN 690 Montreal interview:

On the 2012 49ers Super Bowl loss:

“You never forget the Super Bowl, right? You probably think about that every day the rest of your life. What you could have done, should have done. It was a great period for the organization. Personally it was a great period. But you felt you let something get away.”

On both he and Kaepernick leaving the 49ers after 2016:

“Colin did an awful lot of good things for us on the field and off. His career like mine has taken a detour at the moment.”

On if he’s surprised an NFL team hasn’t signed Kaepernick:

“I don’t know what … When I left the NFL I got out and haven’t kept too close in touch with what’s been going on. Certainly haven’t talked to him or his agent. I don’t know what’s been offered to him, what hasn’t been offered to him. You hear bits and pieces but don’t fully know what’s going on, unless you’re on the front lines like his agents who are dealing with it.”

Based on all the quarterbacks who’ve come and gone since 2016, would you say Kaepernick is at least as good as some of the players we’ve seen on the field?

“You have to look at his track record. One Super Bowl, another NFC Championship game. He’s won a lot of games. He’s put up big numbers in those games, with his arm and his feet. He certainly had a run of success in the league. That’s all you can go by as an evaluator. What does the film tell you? You study what he’s done and done recently. I can’t speak for the 32 evaluators and decidion-makers in the league now, but his track record — what he’s done — speaks for itself.”

Related Articles 49ers on Wednesday: Garoppolo likely to miss game vs. Giants; a healthy RB has impressed

49ers bring in two former top-five picks to replace Nick Bosa, Solomon Thomas

The Deets: The 49ers’ big long-term challenge has arrived before anyone expected

No reinforcements: 49ers’ Dee Ford will miss at least another game, per report

Focus on New York Giants: Battered 49ers get another injury break On if the 49ers have reason to be optimistic about this season?

“I’m removed from them, living in central Wisconsin, quite honestly don’t follow the media quite often, and I have my own things going on. Any time you can get that (quarterback) position nailed down, the rest generally falls in place. Historically when you’re strong at that position, you field a pretty competitive football team.”

On what he’s doing for the NFL?

“Just odds and ends. I’m working on concussion protocol a little bit. I’m working on some Combine stuff. Working on speaking engagements to draft eligible players at college campuses across the country. Really, I’m doing whatever they ask me to do. I’m doing a little with NextGen stats and different projects at the league office and staying active in the game.”