Chip Kelly is the head coach in San Francisco, and the 49ers are now expecting results on the offensive side of the ball.
Kelly's system is a unique one, even more so if the team running it has a dynamic, dual-threat quarterback. The 49ers do, and it's Colin Kaepernick.
But what is to become of the $100 million quarterback?
"Well the future's bright (for Kaepernick)," general manager Trent Baalke told 95.7 The Game on Friday.
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But it's not a sure thing that Kaepernick will be the team's starter or even be on the roster in the 2016 season, as Kelly and Baalke continue to evaluate what's currently in house.
"First of all, Colin is in Vail, Colorado rehabbing right now, coming off the season of injuries that he had.
"And right now it doesn't pay to talk about any of our guys...coach (Chip Kelly) hasn't worked with anybody yet. He has talked to them on the phone. He's tried to reach out to all of the guys that are under contract, and has talked to most of them. I don't know that he's talked to all of them yet but he's certainly reached out, and is trying to go through that process.
"But we've got two guys. Blaine (Gabbert) stepped in and did some awfully good things. Obviously Colin has done a lot of good things through his career here. And Chip's looking forward to getting together with both of them, and getting them on the field, and putting them into his system, and going to work...We've got plenty of time to get going here."
[MAIOCCO: Kelly's first act: Opening communication with 49ers players]
Why the tentativeness with regard to naming Kaepernick the starter again?
"The first thing we've got to do is get a coaching staff in place. Then you've got the offseason from a personnel standpoint, you got free agency, you got the draft. We just went through the CFL signing. There's a lot of things we've got to get done (first)," Baalke added.
Nevertheless, the 49ers GM is confident Kelly will take this offense to the next level.
"(Kelly) is a tremendously innovative coach...he's certainly got a creative mind, he's got a system, he understands matchups, and how it pertains to game-time decisions. He's very calm and collective. There's a lot to like on the offensive side....he is going to run the offense, there's no doubt about that."
