While Colin Kaepernick remains unemployed, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert is staying in the NFC West and signing a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Former 49ers' and Jaguars' QB Blaine Gabbert is signing a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 10, 2017
Gabbert was the 10th overall selection by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2011 NFL Draft after playing college football for Missouri. After starting 24 games over three seasons with Jacksonville, he was traded to the 49ers in March of 2014 for a sixth-round pick.
The 49ers re-signed Gabbert to a two-year deal worth $2 million in March of 2015. During the 2015 season, Gabbert took over as the 49ers starting quarterback for the final eight games. He completed 63.1-percent of his passes for 2,031 yards, 10 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. The 49ers went 3-5 with Gabbert as their starting quarterback in 2015.
During the following offseason, Gabbert entered into a quarterback competition with Kaepernick and was named the starter on September 3rd. Gabbert started the first five games of the 2016 season before being benched in favor of Kaepernick. During those five games, he completed 58-percent of his passes for 890 yards, five touchdowns, and six interceptions. The 49ers won just one game with Gabbert as their starter. He briefly appeared in a Week 13 game against the Chicago Bears and went 4-of-10 for 35 yards passing.
No quarterback who was on the 49ers roster in 2016 has been brought back to the team. While Gabbert's unemployment ends, Kaepernick, Christian Ponder, and Thad Lewis continue to seek a roster spot with an NFL team.
