Colin Kaepernick ‘surprised’ by fourth quarter benching

The San Francisco 49ers benched quarterback Colin Kaepernick on Sunday, and he was a bit taken aback by it.

Kaepernick, who had been playing very well coming into the game at Chicago, completed just one pass in the first three quarters on five attempts, worth four total yards. With his team down 22 in the fourth, Kaepernick was promptly benched for Blaine Gabbert.

“I was surprised. It wasn’t something I expected,” Kaepernick said, via Andie Hagemann of NFL Media. “It’s not my place to really argue on the sideline. I want to make sure I do what I can help this team win and that was the decision that was made so I’m going to support my teammates.”

Coach Chip Kelly simply explained that his team “needed a spark.”

I’m not sure how Kaepernick can be surprised. Yes, he’d been playing well, but he had four yards and one completed pass to his name in the fourth quarter. It doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t get the job back, but with the team getting blown out, there was no reason not to try Gabbert as long as Kaepernick was being so incredibly ineffective. Perhaps he’s just very concerned about his next contract and how this will impact it.