Grant Cohn: New Colin Kaepernick says it's time to restart with 49ers

SANTA CLARA - Look at him. He's smiling.

Smiling with his whole face. At a press conference. Crow's feet around his eyes, dimples in his cheeks - a genuine smile. This is a new Colin Kaepernick.

Or maybe it's the old Colin. The exuberant, charming Colin we saw play at the University of Nevada. The Colin we were expecting to meet when he came to the 49ers in 2011. I never met that Colin, although I've heard he exists. Or used to exist.

Now I see him and he's five feet in front of me. Beaming. Making eye contact when he talks and answering questions at length. Hard questions.

“Why did you request a trade?” a reporter asks.

Kaepernick turns to face him. “Organizations at the end of the season go through and evaluate personnel and opportunities,” Kaepernick explains. “That was something that I sat down with my team and did the same thing. That's how we handled the business.”

An honest, candid answer. The Niners weren't committed to Kaepernick so he didn't feel committed to them. Now they're committed to each other. Everything else is in the past.

The reporter follows up. “What led you to that? Why did you think it was better for you to go elsewhere?”

At this point, the Kaepernick I know would lose his patience. The more you ask him to explain himself, the more hostile he gets and the shorter his answers become.

Not today. This Kaepernick is patient. “Once again, we were looking at different opportunities,” he says. “I really don't want to get into specifics of what happened, why things happened. At this point everything is football, I'm a 49er. Excited to work with Chip and this coaching staff, (offensive coordinator) Curtis (Modkins) and (quarterbacks coach) Ryan (Day) have been amazing and I'm excited about what's to come.”

A grown-up, professional answer. An answer a leader would give. Good for Colin.

Now it's my turn to ask a question. “Have your agents dropped the trade request?”

Kaepernick pauses and stares at me, then repeats my question. “Have they dropped the trade request?” I'm thinking I've offended him, but he laughs and says, “I haven't even thought about a trade request in a long time.”

In other words, what trade request? That's history.

“I'm here,” he continued. “I'm a 49er. I'm excited for this offseason, the work that I've been putting in this summer to get ready for training camp and to come in and compete.”

“Do you feel like you can benefit from the coaching change and Chip Kelly comes in and it's just a fresh start for everybody?” another reporter asked.

“Yeah, Chip has been phenomenal,” Kaepernick said. “Chip, Curtis, Ryan - they've all been phenomenal. Very focused on details and making sure that everybody is prepped for what we're doing, we know what we're doing when we step on the field so we can go out and play with a clear mind. Chip brings a lot of excitement with this offense and what he's been able to do in the NFL. I think everybody on the team is excited to play for him.”

An 80-word response. Who is this man? It's time to address what everyone is thinking.

“You seem really happy and talkative,” I say. Kaepernick's smile vanishes. He doesn't know where I'm going and probably doesn't trust me. We haven't gotten along in the past.

“We don't normally see this side of you,” I say. “Where is it coming from?”

Kaepernick smiles and drops his head. Then he looks at me and pats his heart. “From the soul,” he says, and he laughs and laughs and laughs. “It comes from the soul.”

He was looking at me, but he was talking to everyone. And he was saying, “Let's start over. This is the real me. I'm not the guy I've shown you in the past. I'm a good person. I have a good soul.”

When someone tells you he has a good soul, you give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Just following up on his question,” a reporter says, “with everything that happened to you last year, the injuries, the trade talk, everything - are you still the same person you were, or did that change you somehow?”

“Definitely not the same person,” Kaepernick says. “What I try to do is grow. And that's not just on the football field, that's in life. That's in my relationships. That's in everything. Being able to grow and have that growth is something that I strive to do, and I think that's something that I took a big step in in this past year.”

Two minutes later, he demonstrates his growth as Dan Beckler, a P.R. official, tries to end the interview early. “Thanks, Kap!” Beckler says, which is Colin's cue to leave.

“You know what, Dan” Kaepernick says, “This is kind of a unique situation.” Then Kaepernick turns back to the media. “If you guys have any more questions feel free to ask. I want to make sure you guys get all of your questions answered and moving forward we can be all football.”

Be still my heart. Kaepernick went on to answer questions for 10 more minutes until the interview ran its course.

“That was the longest interview you've ever given,” a reporter said.

“I'm going for records this year,” Kaepernick said with a smile.

So nice to finally meet you, Colin.

Grant Cohn writes sports columns and the “Inside the 49ers” blog for The Press Democrat's website. You can reach him at grantcohn@gmail.com.