Chip Kelly: 'No question' Kaepernick can still play

Chip Kelly inherited Colin Kaepernick last year.

When the San Francisco 49ers named Kelly their new head coach ahead of the 2016 season, he didn't immediately give Kaepernick the starting quarterback job. Instead, he let Kaepernick sit and wait for five weeks before taking the ball from Blaine Gabbert.

Out of the pro game for now, Kelly was asked for his opinion on Kaepernick's unemployment and whether he deserves to be a No. 1 or No. 2 quarterback on an NFL team's depth chart.

"He's big, athletic, he can hurt you both throwing and running. The last couple of years, he was banged up. I think he is going to be better next year than he was this past year because physically he will be better," Kelly told Michael Rosenberg of The MMQB.

As for why Kaepernick remains a free agent, Kelly couldn't put a finger on it, either.

"Do I think he is one of the top 64 quarterbacks in the world? There is no question. Does he have the ability to play quarterback on a winning team in the NFL? There is no question," Kaepernick's former coach said.

The belief around the league is that Kaepernick is either commanding too large a salary, does not have the skills to warrant a contract, or that his protest during the national anthem drew the ire of NFL owners and executives. For what it's worth, Kelly said the protest had little effect on the Niners' locker room last year.

"There was zero distraction," Kelly said. "He met with the team immediately after (his first protest). He met with the other team leaders. He explained his position and where he was coming from. And literally, that was it. Colin was focused on football. He was all about the team and trying to help us win."

New 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan recently ruled his team out of the running for Kaepernick's services. The Seattle Seahawks have not closed the door on adding him as a backup, however.