Was Colin Kaepernick rightfully let go by the 49ers in 2017?

The Colin Kaepernick saga continues as we approach NFL training camps in 2022. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback has not played since the 2016 season, drawing up clear cases of collusion from owners in the league.

There seems to be a lot of general confusion among fans about what happened between him and the 49ers early in the 2017 offseason. In reality, the team reportedly told him they were going to release him so he ended up opting out of his deal. So while he was not technically released, it was the same idea.

The question is whether the team had a good reason to move on from him. Or, was it the start of all the collusion against him?

49ers were in a state of transition when Colin Kaepernick opted out

San Francisco 49ers v Atlanta Falcons

There are two sides to any story. Kaepernick may say the team gave up on him after he had shown success in the recent past. Yet, the dysfunction of the 49ers at that time may explain why the decision was made.

Kaepernick showed up in 2011, the same year as head coach Jim Harbaugh. Instantly, the team was a contender after a rough stretch under Mike Singletary.

The team reached the NFC Championship Game in that 2011 season and went to the Super Bowl the following year. Kaepernick started that Super Bowl showdown against the Baltimore Ravens, after he took over for Alex Smith following an injury to the latter. The 49ers ultimately fell short, and did so again in the following year's NFC Championship Game.

It marked three straight trips to the conference title game with one Super Bowl appearance. So it was easy to think that Harbaugh and Kaepernick were going to be a dynamic duo for a very long time. But then came an 8-8 season in 2014, which saw Harbaugh and the 49ers agree to split. The coach went to Michigan, and Jim Tomsula was tasked with getting the winning ways going again.

That, of course, did not happen. The quarterback was benched and dealt with injuries in 2015, only for the team to reset again and add coach Chip Kelly in 2016. He proceeded to go 2-14 in his only year as head coach, while the quarterback went 1-10 as the starter.

This called for another total reset, with Kyle Shanahan showing up as the savior this time around. He came in with his own offensive system and ideas of how to run a successful team. As it turned out, Kaepernick was not his ideal fit. The team ended up trading for Jimmy Garoppolo during the 2017 season and the rest is history.

There is certainly a storyline where 49ers ownership wanted the potential distraction of the quarterback gone. However, it just seems like both sides needed a fresh start. Unfortunately, the rest of the NFL was not open to being the next landing spot for the signal-caller.