Colin Kaepernick placed on IR – Done for the season

On Saturday, though, the 49ers eventually placed him on the season-ending IR because of the same left shoulder injury, officially ruling him out for the remaining games of the season.

Undrafted rookie Dylan Thompson has been promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster and will serve as Gabbert’s backup on Sunday. Gabbert will start his first road game for the 49ers Sunday in Seattle. Averaging just 181 yards per game this season, Kaepernick is leading the NFL’s thirtieth ranked passing attack – only Minnesota and St. Louis have more anemic passing games. The 49ers have until April 1 to cut or trade Kaepernick before his base salary for 2016 becomes fully guaranteed. Ian Rapoport reported at least three teams approached the 49ers about Kaepernick prior to the trade deadline, something general manager Trent Baalke denied.

Kaepernick will finish the year with his lowest tallies since beginning the season as the starting quarterback in 2013. According to Rapoport, Kaepernick would “welcome a fresh start”.

PAST ISSUES – Kaepernick’s durability hasn’t been in question, previously.

Kaepernick complained of soreness in his non-throwing shoulder after the October 4th loss to the Green Bay Packers – a condition that he said has not gotten any better despite the fact that he was listed as probable on the weekly injury report. His career passer rating is 88.4. Last week, Gabbert led the 49ers to an improbable win over the previously 6-2 Atlanta Falcons.

Kaepernick has passed for 10,030 yards with 56 touchdowns and 26 interceptions in regular-season action.

The team will save a total of .765 million in cap space in 2016, making the move all the more likely. His salary in following seasons climbs from $11.9 million next year to $19 million in 2020, though it drops $2 million each year he doesn’t make All-Pro or fails to produce an NFC championship while playing in 80 percent of the offensive snaps. That portion of the contract could make it harder for Kaepernick to be traded.

“Also, thanks to Kaepernick’s contract, the 49ers will save a few money this season, as noted by former National Football League agent Joel Corry…Kaepernick’s contract includes a bonus of $125,000 for every game that he’s on the active roster and since he’ll be missing the final seven games, that means he’ll miss out on $875,000”. And though the result was inevitable, the way the 49ers got to it, yet again, proved just how freaky and mindlessly cryptic (and yet undeniably predictable) York, Baalke and Marathe are and will always be.