Futures of Kaepernick, Kelly intricately tied together

For San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly and quarterback Colin Kaepernick, this could be it.

After both men saw success early in their careers, neither has much room for error just a few years later. Kelly's hurry-up, spread-it-out offense worked wonders in its NFL infancy with the Philadelphia Eagles, before opposing defenses figured out its tendencies.

Kaepernick has a similar story, finding success as a mobile quarterback in a borderline gimmick system before developing a long list of bad habits opposing teams could pick on. He went three playoff games deep in 2012 and 2013, but regressed to a shaky 8-8 year in 2014 and a truly horrific performance a season ago.

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So far in 2016, the 49ers offense hasn't done much, putting up the second-least amount of yards per game through five weeks, to the tune of a 1-4 record.

It's unfair to place all the blame on now former starting quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who has had nothing to work with, but it's understandable that a change needed to be made to possibly salvage this season. Kelly really didn't have much choice but to switch to Kaepernick under center, and now that he's going to have the ball in his hands, both of their futures are tied at the hip.

With Kaepernick reportedly working on a restructured contract that could see him become a free agent in March, and the amount of effort general manager Trent Baalke put into trying to move his quarterback last spring, this is likely the player and team's last season together.

In the eleven remaining possible starts, Kaepernick will have a chance to show he's not done in the NFL.

As Kaepernick attempts to prove he's more than a two-year wonder, so will Kelly. The former Oregon head coach reeled off back to back 10-win seasons between 2013 and 2014, but has since seen this reputation crumble from offensive innovator to roster-manipulating egomaniac.

The 49ers don't need to win their division, or even make the playoffs, or become an offensive juggernaut for Kelly and Kaepernick to have a successful season this year - they just need to be better than horrible.

Best-case scenario

After restructuring that contract, Kaepernick gets the chance to use his mobility in Kelly's system and learns how to make quick decisions - the biggest fault in his 2015 performance. The 49ers finish with five or six wins, a top-20 offensive output, and a few 30-point games.

The 49ers and Kaepernick say their goodbyes in the spring. Leading to at least one other team - possibly the Bears, Jets, Cardinals, Browns, or Dolphins - believing Kaepernick has done enough to be worthy of a fresh beginning and a shot to become their starter.

Kelly gets to redeem himself from the tire fire in Philly, making something out of nothing after inheriting one of the league's worst rosters. The 49ers don't win enough games to warrant missing a good draft pick, and Kelly gets to select a brand new quarterback. With dual-threat passers Deshaun Watson (Clemson), Mitch Trubisky (North Carolina), and DeShon Kizer (Notre Dame) all set to be available, the 49ers find one to be their new franchise player.

Worst-case scenario

Kaepernick turns out to be worse than Gabbert in Kelly's system as his thinned-out frame doesn't allow him to use his mobility, and he can't shake his desire to always make the deepest throw. Kelly is forced to go back and forth between Kaepernick and Gabbert, even mixing in third-stringer Christian Ponder from time to time.

Exposed in a system some (wrongly) believed he'd be perfect for, Kaepernick goes from promising starter with extended upside to journeyman backup who teams worry will become a media distraction. Frustrated by having to settle for a shot at relief duty (and relief-duty money), the 28-year-old calls it quits before the age of 30.

As the Niners lose more and more games in hopeless fashion, the locker room devolves into chaos and the players lose trust in their coach. Embarrassed by the prospect of four head coaches in four years, the 49ers are forced to keep Kelly for another season as they make the organizational decision to settle for mediocrity at best. Part-way through a third-straight atrocity of a season, Kelly gets the boot and retreats back to college with his tail between his legs.

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