Alex Smith on Kaepernick: ‘Crazy that at this point he’s out of a job’

Add Alex Smith to the 8.25 million people who have publicly expressed an opinion on Colin Kaepernick’s unemployment. Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star asked the man who lost his job in San Francisco to Kaepernick what he thought of his former teammate’s plight.

“It’s hard for me to comment on it. I don’t know. Lot going on in that landscape right now. Certainly when I was there, he was playing at a really, really high level, right?,” Smith told Mellinger. “Had a lot in front of him as far as a career goes. He was playing really good football.

“Crazy to think he’s not playing. Yeah, that’s a crazy thing. As good as he was playing. Young, strong, I felt like he had a long career ahead of him. Crazy that at this point he’s out of a job.”

In 2012, Smith was leading the league in pass efficiency before he was sidelined from a concussion in Week 10. Kaepernick wowed while filling in with explosive footwork and a thrilling deep ball. Smith never got his job back, and the Kapeenrick-led 49ers were just five yards short of winning the Super Bowl that season. The 49ers traded Smith to the Chiefs a few months later.