CSN: GQ cover earns Kaepernick more flak from teammates than credit

It's been a wild and busy offseason for Colin Kaepernick. One day in early June -- just before the 49ers quarterback threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Giants game -- Kaepernick spent his time in Santa Clara giving GQ Magazine its cover story.

After the pictures went public this week, multiple teammates indicated there would be words exchanged in jest over Kaepernick's fashionable outfits. GQ provided the entire wardrobe -- specific to tall, long-legged individuals -- giving the quarterback the final say on which articles the Adonis would don for the cameras. So don't expect Kaepernick to be bothered by flak for his yellow-cardigan-and-football-pants look. He wanted to do it. He wasn't even compensated for his full day of work, which included hours of interviewing with writer Andrew Corsello followed by hours being photographed by Ben Watts.

"He was really psyched," Corsello told CSNBayArea.com. "There are smart guys, and there are thoughtful guys. And he's both."

The article focuses on how Kaepernick is misunderstood. Seen strictly for his freakish athleticism, people don't realize how studious he has been in his approach to football. With critics claiming his offseason exploits were too many and too distracting, his stories of developing as a disciplined pocket passer and spending too much time studying provide stark contrast.

- Nate Stuhlbarg, CSN Bay Area