Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network sat down with San Francisco 49ers WR Jeremy Kerley in Houston to discuss his future with the team. Kerley was acquired by the 49ers via a trade with the Detroit Lions in late August, just prior to the team's final preseason game. The 49ers sent guard Brandon Thomas to Detroit and received Kerley in return. In March, Kerley is scheduled to become a free agent. In 2016, Kerley led the 49ers in receiving with 64 catches for 667 yards and three touchdowns.
Siciliano asked Kerley if he wanted to return to the 49ers. "Definitely," Kerley responded. "I feel comfortable there. I feel like I'm at home. I definitely want to go back. Hopefully, everything works out."
"I see a lot of upside to being over there," Kerley answered when asked why he wants to return. "It's a great place. They've got a lot of great talent. A lot of people don't understand, we were in a lot of those games. 2-14 was a tough record but we were in a lot of those games. So, I think it would be great to go back and be around a lot of those guys that want to win and I think with the new atmosphere, it will be good."
Kerley was asked about Kyle Shanahan, the Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator who is expected to become the 49ers' next head coach. Does Kerley believe Shanahan can turn things around for the 49ers? "Yeah, definitely," Kerley answered. "You just look at what he's doing over there in Atlanta. They have an explosive, explosive offense. They've got a lot of good things going over there for them.
Jeremy Kerley: 'I feel at home' with the San Francisco 49ers
"Like I said, we have the talent in San Fran. We need a couple more pieces, add a couple more pieces, maybe a receiver here and there, but I think with the change in John Lynch as the new GM, I think it will be good."
Kerley went on to identify some of the aspects of Shanahan's offense that he likes, like the fact that he spreads the football around and puts guys in the right place to be successful. "I'll give you a little example," Kerley said. "Using Taylor Gabriel. Kind of how he's using him."
Kerley hopes that Shanahan can do some of the same types of things with the 49ers and get the football into the hands more of players like Quinton Patton, who he feels is explosive.
Former head coach Chip Kelly came up during the conversation. While Kerley feels that there were players who stopped playing, he still expected Kelly to return in 2017. "I didn't think he was going to be gone until he was gone," Kerley said.
Kerley felt that Kelly's offense needed at least a couple of years to get going and be successful. Player injuries and a quarterback change certainly did not help and Kerley felt that it threw things off. When asked if he thought Kelly would be an NFL head coach again, he said he hopes so, but it would be tough.
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