Colin Kaepernick suggests the 49ers were tanking with Chip Kelly in 2016

By admin — In News — October 3, 2026

   ​MIAMI GARDENS, FL – NOVEMBER 27: San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly talks with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) before a play during the NFL football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins on November 27, 2016, at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL. The Miami Dolphins defeated the San Francisco 49ers by the score of 31-24. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images 2016 was a rough time to be a 49ers fan, with the team going 2-14 while dealing with a dysfunctional front office. Former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick suggests the 49ers didn’t want to win anyway. Kaepernick’s memoir, “The Perilous Fight,” has been out for a couple of weeks and tells his perspective on growing up and playing both college and professional football. 49ers fans looking for stories from his time as the starting quarterback won’t be disappointed. We’ve talked about his relationship with general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Jim Harbaugh, but Kaepernick also shares his perspective playing for the coaches that followed Harbaugh: Jim Tomsula in 2015, whose regime Kaepernick called “a disaster,” and Chip Kelly in 2016. Kelly named Blaine Gabbert the starting quarterback over Kaepernick. On the surface, it may have seemed like Gabbert beat Kaepernick for the starting job. In reality, Kaepernick was still rehabbing and returning from injury. There were also reports of injury guarantees on Kaepernick’s contract that he eventually restructured to remove—something many (including Kaepernick) speculate was the real reason he stayed off the field. That’s all common knowledge; what is interesting is Kaepernick’s take on the 49ers in 2016: I should add that the Niners didn’t seem interested in winning football games. They appeared to be in full “tank” mode. They were calling Chip Kelly’s first season a “rebuilding” year, but in actuality they had no plan to go get the talent Coach Kelly wanted. Kaepernick used the wide receiver situation as an example. Saying the 49ers’ No. 1 wideout that year was “the number five or six receiver on a different team.” No names are given, but Jeremy Kerley led the team in catches and yards receiving in 2016. Many may think of Torrey Smith as the “designated” wide receiver. Either way, Kerley’s team-leading 516 yards in receiving that year should tell you just how bad the 49ers were. “The team didn’t get us another receiver,” Kaepernick wrote. “Despite having the money to do so, something like $40 million in salary cap space.” Publicly, the 49ers were rebuilding. Even then, it was clear Baalke’s seat was nuclear after the press conference following Tomsula’s sacking took place; 49ers owner Jed York said he told Baalke he was not satisfied with the state of this [the 49ers] team. Was the team tanking? It wouldn’t be surprising. The 49ers’ lack of spending in free agency both in   

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