Colin Kaepernick Isn't the Answer at Quarterback for 49ers, so What Is?

Colin Kaepernick isn't a franchise quarterback. He's barely a starting-caliber quarterback at this point in his career, and the San Francisco 49ers should adjust their future plans accordingly. 

Those plans should include finding a new starting quarterback after this season, even in the barren NFL wasteland where retreads like Ryan Fitzpatrick, Josh McCown and Brian Hoyer all threw for 200 or more yards Sunday. 

In reality, Kaepernick has always been one thing and one thing only: a system quarterback. 

This stems from his time as a member of the Nevada Wolf Pack, where he excelled in Chris Ault's pistol offense. In the scheme, Kaepernick became the first quarterback in Football Bowl Subdivision history to throw for 10,000 or more yards and run for 4,000 or more yards. 

The 49ers, meanwhile, knew he needed time to develop, but the organization felt he could make the adjustment. 

"[Former 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh] asked him to change a lot of things, his footwork, different things like that, just to see how he responded," San Francisco general manager Trent Baalke said shortly after the team traded up to acquire Kaepernick in the second round of the 2011 draft, per the San Francisco Chronicle's David White. "He showed the ability to process everything and make those changes very quickly."

At the time, the Nevada product acknowledged he was a good scheme fit for Harbaugh's offensive system. 

"I fit Coach Harbaugh's offense well," he said, per White. "He likes a mobile quarterback who can do a lot of things."

Unfortunately, these things never spoke to Kaepernick's biggest drawbacks: an inability to process information quickly, a lack of awareness or understanding of NFL passing concepts, poor defensive recognition and a rifle arm that often lacked touch due to poor mechanics. 

"You throw how you throw," Harbaugh said at the time. "It matters what the ball does when you throw it, not how you do it."

Now in his fifth season, none of these issues have been adequately addressed. 

Those weaknesses have never been more apparent than they currently are, as USA Today's Steven Ruiz noted: 

Despite Kaepernick's drawbacks, the 49ers were previously able to win at a high level by downplaying his weaknesses and capitalizing on his strengths during his first two seasons as a starter. 

The team built a strong run-first offense with creative game-planning, which included the pistol formation and zone-read principles. It took the NFL by storm at one point, but it wasn't sustainable. 

However, Kaepernick's strong arm, flashy play and sleight of hand as an athletic quarterback (as well as a stingy defense) were good enough at the time to help propel the 49ers to a pair of NFC Championship Game appearances and five yards away from a Super Bowl victory. 

Kaepernick won with raw natural ability, but he never excelled at understanding the nuances of the quarterback position. 

Still, the quarterback and the franchise agreed to a six-year contract extension in June 2014 possibly worth as much as $126 million, including $54 million in potential guarantees.

Both sides protected themselves during the negotiations, though.  

ESPN.com's Jeffri Chadiha immediately recognized the position Kaepernick was in once he signed the contract: 

"

Kaepernick's package indicates his understanding that a good amount of his success had plenty to do with the talent the 49ers placed around him. Without those assets—including the mentoring of former 49ers quarterback and current Kansas City Chiefs starter Alex Smith, the strength of a stout offensive line and the dominance of an attacking defense—he wouldn't be in the position to score such a lucrative raise as he enters his fourth season.

"

A year-and-a-half later, the offensive line certainly isn't as stout and the defense isn't nearly as dominant. Also, the head coach, whose system was a perfect fit, and his offensive coordinator are gone. 

Instead, Kaepernick is now dealing with a defensive-minded head coach and offensive coordinator Geep Chryst, who hasn't called plays of any kind since he was part of Mike Riley's staff with the San Diego Chargers in 2000. 

With this massive amount of turnover, the 49ers can now easily see Kaepernick can't actually carry his team. He's simply become one of the franchise's numerous problems. 

At the time, Kaepernick may have understood his situation, but the 49ers protected their best interests when making the deal. 

The most important part of his current contract is that it's essentially a series of one-year deals, as ESPN's Andrew Brandt highlighted on Twitter: 

San Francisco isn't locked into a bad long-term situation. Thus, the franchise can start exploring all of its options as early as this week if it feels the need to do so.

However, head coach Jim Tomsula wasn't exactly receptive to any conversation involving a change at quarterback after Sunday's 17-3 loss to the Green Bay Packers, per SF Gate's Kevin Lynch:  

"

Tomsula won't even go into that discussion on QB change

— Kevin Lynch (@klynch49) October 4, 2015"

Whether Tomsula likes it or not, the discussion is going to occur this week and the coming weeks. 

After all, Kaepernick has only completed 50 percent of his passes for 227 yards, zero passing touchdowns and five interceptions over the past two weeks. 

Eventually, the topic of backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert and whether he should start will come up and possibly become a legitimate option. 

Gabbert is a former top-10 overall pick who displayed his own problems during his time as a starter for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but it would be foolhardy of the 49ers not to explore all of their options if Kaepernick continues to play at such an alarmingly awful level. 

If neither proves to be the answer by the end of the season, San Francisco can easily get out of Kaepernick's contract and once again consider drafting another signal-caller. 

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Right now, the 49ers are one of the teams battling for the No. 1 overall pick. Cal's Jared Goff continues to rise up draft boards and may eventually be worthy of that status. A college scout recently told Bleacher Report's Matt Miller that Goff is "the best quarterback since Andrew Luck."

Obviously, there will be varying opinions on the Cal product's overall talent and worthiness of a top pick, but it's a starting point to consider when everything else is going wrong. 

Other prospects such as Michigan State's Connor Cook, Ohio State's Cardale Jones, Penn State's Christian Hackenberg, USC's Cody Kessler and North Dakota State's Carson Wentz should all be thoroughly scouted as well. 

Free agency is usually devoid of winning quarterbacks, but there could potentially be young, veteran options like Zach Mettenberger of the Tennessee Titans or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Mike Glennon on the trade market. These statuesque pocket passers present some upside if a team is willing to build around them. But the same can still be said about Kaepernick. 

The 49ers are stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place. 

Franchise quarterbacks aren't easily attainable, and the team's current options behind center aren't very appealing. 

Either the 49ers fully commit to once again building around Kaepernick and his unique skill set, or they should move on and find another option who presents more traditional traits. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL and NFL draft for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @brentsobleski.