SEATTLE – General manager Trent Baalke said Sunday morning he is “absolutely” comfortable with the 49ers’ handling of quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s shoulder injury.
Kaepernick and the 49ers agreed mutually, Baalke said, that Kaepernick should undergo season ending surgery to repair a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder. The 49ers placed Kaepernick on season-ending injured reserve on Saturday before departing for the team’s game at the Seattle Seahawks. Kaepernick did not accompany the team to Seattle and was scheduled to receive treatment at the team's training facility on Sunday morning.
“It was mutual,” Baalke said. “We always try to do what’s best for the player. This is a hard game. The guys get banged up and they sustain injuries. And when they get to the point it’s in their best interest to have surgery, we support that.”
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Baalke said he also supports the 49ers’ staff, including orthopedist Tim McAdams and head athletic trainer Jeff Ferguson.
When asked if he was comfortable with the way Kaepernick’s injury was handled, Baalke answered, “Absolutely. One-hundred percent. I think our medical staff is one of the best, if not the best in the National Football League and in all of sports. I think they do a tremendous job. (I have) no hesitation saying that.”
Kaepernick is scheduled to meet with Dr. Peter Millet of the Steadman Clinic in Vale, Colorado, on Monday. He is likely to undergo surgery on Tuesday. The rehab from surgery is likely to last four-to-six months.
[RELATED: 49ers place Kap on IR; future with team in serious doubt]
San Francisco 49ers
Baalke confirmed Kaepernick first reported soreness in his left shoulder following the 49ers’ 17-3 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 4. But, he said, Kaepernick felt good shortly thereafter and did not report any symptoms until six weeks later, after returning from the bye week on Nov. 16.
“I know he was looked at after the Green Bay game, sought treatment and (then Kaepernick was) full-steam ahead,” Baalke said. “It wasn’t something at that point in time that was reportable (to the league’s injury report) because he went in and got it checked, and felt good and kept right on playing. (There) was no extensive rehab going on at that point in time.
“But those are injuries that they continue to nag and they get worse. And it came to a point where he just felt and the medical staff felt it was in his best interest to take a step back.”
Kaepernick started four more games before he was benched in favor of backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert on Nov. 8 against the Atlanta Falcons. Baalke said Kaepernick’s shoulder injury did not influence the team’s decision to start Gabbert.
Kaepernick is scheduled to make $14.3 million next season, including his $11.9 million base salary that is guaranteed for injury. It also becomes fully guaranteed if he remains on the roster on April 1, leading to rampant speculation that the 49ers will severe ties with Kaepernick early in the offseason.
Baalke said he no team has contacted the 49ers to discuss a trade for Kaepernick. He said he does not consider it a foregone conclusion that Kaepernick has already played his final game with the 49ers.
“I wouldn’t say that at all,” Baalke said. “I think people are reading into that. For me, where we stand right now, I wouldn’t read too much into that right now.”
Gabbert and undrafted rookie Dylan Thompson are the only quarterbacks on the 49ers' roster. The team is expected to bring in a free-agent, but Baalke said no visits have been scheduled.