Blaine Gabbert Named 49ers' Starting QB vs. Seahawks

The Blaine Gabbert era is continuing in San Francisco.

According to Taylor Price of the team's official website on Nov. 9, 49ers coach Jim Tomsula named Gabbert his starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks, all but ending the notion that Colin Kaepernick's benching was a short-term fix.

However, Tomsula refused to commit to Gabbert past Week 11, only telling reporters Gabbert would start through the game vs. Seattle.

Gabbert, a former first-round pick, led San Francisco to a surprise 17-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons last week in his first start since 2013. He threw for 185 yards and two touchdowns against as many interceptions, helping the 49ers build an early lead that their defense held on to with a stellar performance.

“I’m so appreciative for this opportunity,” Gabbert said after the game, per Tyler Emerick of 49ers.com. “I just wanted to go out there today and just have fun. You play well when you’re having fun and that was the biggest thing.”

Tomsula had initially categorized the move to start Gabbert as temporary, saying Kaepernick needed time on the bench to collect himself.

“I want Colin to step back and breathe and look at things through a different lens,” he told reporters last week.

Kaepernick has thrown for 1,615 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions in 2015, struggling through the worst stretch of his career as the 49ers got off to a 2-6 start. Five of his eight starts saw him fail to throw for a touchdown, and San Francisco scored just nine points in his final two starts. 

Formerly considered a franchise cornerstone, Kaepernick was booed during a brief appearance last week when Gabbert had to sit out while being evaluated for a concussion. 

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported Sunday that it's "virtually certain" Kaepernick won't return to San Francisco in 2016:

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Trust between the player -- viewed as a franchise quarterback and potential superstar when leading the team to the Super Bowl just three years ago -- and the organization has eroded to the point where any cosmetic attempts to rebuild bridges are essentially a lost cause, and the prospect of Kaepernick actually playing there next season are viewed as a non-starter.

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If that's the case, a more permanent move to Gabbert would make sense. We have enough of a sample size to know he's not a viable NFL starter, but keeping Kaepernick off the field helps the team avoid injury risk in case it's able to trade him in 2016. However, San Francisco may look to play Kaepernick again in 2015 in an attempt to rebuild his value.