NFL Notes: Colin Kaepernick, 49ers, Buccaneers, Rams

49ers

49ers GM John Lynch confirmed in an interview with Pro Football Talk that they were going to release QB Colin Kaepernick whether he opted out of his contract or not.

“Yes, and we had that conversation with him,” Lynch said regarding whether Kaepernick they would have released him had he not opted out. “ So I don’t want to characterize it as he made a decision to leave here. We both sat down and under that current construct of his deal, it was a big number. [Coach] Kyle [Shanahan] had a vision for what he wanted to do, and one thing I think Kyle was very clear and I think Colin appreciated, is that Kyle has an idea of how he’d play with Colin Kaepernick. But he preferred to run the exact offense that he ran in Atlanta last year that was record-breaking in this league. And if you change it for the quarterback, you change it for everybody on that offense.  So he had a great discussion that I think gave Colin clarity, so we moved on. Brian Hoyer was one of the guys we pursued. Once we pursued him, we didn’t see Kaep as a backup that would really fit in that scheme and we communicated that to him. So I think we’ve been very up front with it. But I think that is a fair characterization.  Yes, he was not going to be here under the construct of his contract.  We gave him the option, ‘You can opt out, we can release you, whatever.’ And he chose to opt out, but that was just a formality.”

Buccaneers

• The Buccaneers announced that they’ve waived DE Deondre Barnett and LB Paul Magloire.

Rams

Former Rams first-round pick Greg Robinson says he’s happy to still be playing guard and considers it a natural position for him.

Even so, Robinson admitted that it took a little time to get used to being on the right side of the offensive line.

“The first week or so was a tough one, but I’m getting it down,” Robinson said, via ESPN.com. “As a goal, all I’m planning on doing is proving with every opportunity I can that I can do well on the right side.”

While things haven’t gone as expected for Robinson since he was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 draft, Robinson added that he’s looking forward to proving himself.

“Honestly, just another day on the field is an opportunity,” Robinson said. “That’s all I’m looking forward to. I’m willing to just prove myself in any way I can, and every day that’s the only thing I’m focused on. Since the beginning I’ve been trying my best. In terms of my play, I wouldn’t say I’m satisfied. All I can do is keep stacking blocks and continue building.“