Alex Smith lost his 49ers starting job – through no fault of his own – three years ago.

Now, he said he is shocked from halfway across the country at the turn of events with the 49ers that resulted in Colin Kaepernick being benched due to poor play. Kaepernick is out for the season after undergoing season-ending surgery this week on his non-throwing shoulder.

It appears highly unlikely Kaepernick will ever play for the 49ers again.

“I see it from afar,’’ said Smith, the starting quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs. “It’s so hard. . . So many things have changed since I was there. Tough for me to even speculate. I’m certainly shocked, looking at it from afar, that it’s gone the way it’s gone. It’s surprising.’’

“I was beyond that a long time ago. If anything, I’m just kind of shocked the way things have happened."

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Smith was playing the best football of his NFL career in 2012. In his final full game with the 49ers, Smith completed 18 of 19 pass attempts for 232 yards and three touchdowns in a victory over the Arizona Cardinals. He set an NFL single-season record with a 94.7 completion percentage. He led the NFL with a 70.0 completion percentage, and was fifth in the NFL with a 104.1 passer rating.

In his next game, Smith completed seven of eight passes with a touchdown against the St. Louis Rams before sustaining a concussion. Smith missed one game. And when he was cleared to resume play, then-coach Jim Harbaugh opted to keep Kaepernick in the starting lineup.

"I feel like the only thing I did to lose my job was get a concussion," Smith said at the time.

This season, Kaepernick struggled through the first eight games. Coach Jim Tomsula said Kaepernick needed to “breathe” and get out of the pressure-cooker for a while. Blaine Gabbert took over as the starter.

"I'm not out of breath, so I don't understand that reference," Kaepernick said after being informed of his benching.

"No, I don't believe in pressure. Pressure is not being prepared for what you want to do. To me, I've played full seasons. I've played full seasons and been successful. It's something that mentally I've been through before. I'm not incapable of going through things."

The 49ers said Kaepernick’s injury had no impact on the decision to start Gabbert. In fact, Tomsula and general manager Trent Baalke stated they were not aware Kaepernick was still feeling any effects of the shoulder injury he first reported to the team’s medical staff after the Oct. 4 game against the Green Bay Packers. He started four more games.

Tomsula said he first learned of the injury after Kaepernick returned from the bye week. An MRI examination last week revealed “a significant tear” to his left labrum, according to sources close to Kaepernick. He underwent surgery on Tuesday. His rehabilitation is expected to last four to six months.



