The San Francisco 49ers have a big question at the quarterback position, and naturally general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan were asked about Colin Kaepernick in particular. Lynch told the media that Kaepernick had reached out to him already, and they would be visiting in the near future to discuss his situation. Shanahan said he had a lot of tape to study on a lot of players, and Kaepernick would be part of that.

Lynch did not commit to anything specific with regard to Kaepernick. He did say that if they think he is part of the future, they will work something out, and if not, they would deal with it.

It was interesting to hear that Kaepernick did reach out to them. There have been reports he has decided to opt out, but there have since been reports he has not made a final decision. He can not formally execute the opt out until March 2, so there is still some time. And given Kyle Shanahan’s offensive mind, it would make sense for Kaepernick to at least speak with him and see if there was some kind of future.

My guess is Kaepernick and the 49ers do end up parting ways, but this would seem to offer some sliver of a possibility he returns. Shanahan was asked earlier who he would want starting at QB in 2017. The question was broader in the sense of, do you want a rookie, a veteran starter, or a backup who has not gotten a chance. He said he wants the best player available.

Given where things stand with this year’s draft class and the free agents available, Kaepernick very well could be the best option to start for the short term. We have a little under a month for that to be figured out, and I imagine we will hear more rumors at the Combine and heading into March.