"Colin reached out and we plan on visiting, that's something Kyle and I committed to," Lynch revealed. "In order to find out what you need, you first have to really take inventory of what you have. We'll sit down with him and if we see fit that he's a part of it, we'll commit to that. If not, we'll figure things out."
"It starts with me with just studying people," Shanahan added, "I need to go watch it on tape and Colin, like any other player, is someone I'm going to be watching a lot of tape on the next few weeks." Kaepernick, for his part, has maintained that "all things being equal," he'd like to return to the 49ers. The fact that he took the initial step of reaching out to Lynch seems to confirm that.
An intriguing revelation by Lynch was his previous interaction with Kaepernick during his stint at FOX. Analysts routinely meet with coaches and key players prior to games and Lynch described positive encounters with Kaepernick when they met.
"I'm looking forward to sitting down with him. I really am. Colin and I, when I did some 49ers games, I'd say we hit it off. I'd say there was a trust there. I think that trust extends, and I was thrilled when he reached out. I'm looking forward to talking with him."
These developments fly in the face of reports from numerous outlets that Kaepernick had already decided to opt out of his contract, and if not, that the team would cut him. It appears that the new 49ers' brass are committed to a patient approach, and judging Kaepernick based on their own personal interaction with him, along with his on-field performance, rather than by the words of others who may take issue with him based on his stance on pertinent social issues.
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
49ers Notebook: Will Dre Greenlaw stay in the Bay?; Shanahan, Lynch excited about Ricky Pearsall, Dominick Puni; Shanahan weighs in on team tragedies, special teams, defensive scheme
The 2024 season left no debate over the importance of Dre Greenlaw to the San Francisco 49ers. But will the veteran linebacker be back with the team in 2025 and beyond? That's a question that remains unanswered, although the 49ers at least gave a clue on what direction they'd... -
49ers' John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan to hold end-of-season press conference on Wednesday
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan will hold their annual end-of-season press conference on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. The event will allow local reporters to ask questions and gain insight into the team's plans for the offseason. The... -
49ers' Kyle Shanahan, John Lynch hold end-of-season press conference
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan held their end-of-season press conference on Wednesday, reflecting on the team's 6-11 finish to its 2024 campaign. Here is everything they said. Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers... -
Report: Kyle Shanahan allegedly violated NFL rules by naming Klay Kubiak as 49ers' OC
Head coach Kyle Shanahan announced this week that the San Francisco 49ers were promoting assistant coach Klay Kubiak to offensive coordinator. However, according to one report, this decision may have violated NFL rules. Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports that the NFL...