Editor's note: The video above is from Jan. 14, the day the San Francisco 49ers hired Chip Kelly.
Coach Chip Kelly said that he spoke with 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick after San Jose State’s pro day on Tuesday.
"If he's here on April 4, we're going to coach the heck out of him and he's going to work his ass off," Kelly told Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.
The 49ers' voluntary offseason program is scheduled to begin on April 4. Kaepernick has a scheduled $400,000 workout bonus for 90-percent attendance in the program.
Kelly reiterated that he is prohibited from speaking to his players about football. As he has stated in the past, Kelly's conversations with Kaepernick have centered on the rehabilitation from shoulder, thumb and knee surgeries.
"He says he's doing well, progressing nicely," Kelly told the Bee.
On Feb. 25, Kaepernick’s agents requested permission from the 49ers to seek a trade. The Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns and New York Jets spoke with the 49ers last week about a possible trade for Kaepernick, according to sources.
The 49ers have told teams that they want to retain Kaepernick if the compensation is not right. Kelly is confident Kaepernick can have success in his system, a source told CSNBayArea.com.
The trade request came just hours after Kelly told 49ers beat reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis that Kaepernick was excited about playing for the team.
“He wants to be here,” Kelly said. “He’s never expressed to me that he doesn’t want to be here. He expressed to me that he was excited about getting healthy and getting going. And we’re excited about him getting healthy and getting going.”
