The decision of the Panthers to sign safety Eric Reid

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constitutes a stunner , because many had presumed that the NFL’s owners would never relent or retreat in the face of the collusion grievances filed by Reid and former 49ers teammate Colin Kaepernick. So now that Reid has been signed, is Kaepernick next?It’s a fair question, since it’s possible that Carolina’s decision to proceed — and the public reaction to it — could give a team that needs help at the quarterback position confidence that, if Kaepernick is signed, the fans won’t rush for the exits, the sponsors won’t abandon the team en masse, and the TV ratings won’t plummet.If anything, adding Kaepernick could help a team. Especially if that team currently is facing , for example, the balance of a season without a franchise question like Jimmy Garoppolo. The 49ers have four prime-time games from Week Six to Week 10, and the ratings for those games instantly would be dramatically higher if Kaepernick were back playing quarterback for the team that drafted him in 2011.While the league should want that increased interest, the league may not want it on those terms.For the 49ers, who like every team are in an entertainment business, the increased interest could be welcome. And justified. Sure, it would be a challenge to get Kaepernick up to speed quickly, but just as the Broncos dramatically retooled their offense in 2011 for Tim Tebow , the 49ers could do the same for Kaepernick.Whether it’s the 49ers or someone else, it’s beyond argument that he’s talented enough to have one of the top two spots on plenty of depth charts. It will be interesting to see whether the willingness of the Panthers to sign Reid will make a team that needs an upgrade at quarterback to sign Kaepernick.49ers Super Bowl odds climb slightly following win over Lions The San Francisco 49ers beat the Detroit Lions this past Sunday, and while it was not a pretty win, it was a win nonetheless. And as is the case, when a team wins a game, usually their Super Bowl odds improve. A week after falling from 20/1 to 33/1, the 49ers improved to 28/1 at Bovada.The Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers , and Houston Texans all climbed ahead of the 49ers after Week 1, but with all three losing, they dropped behind San Francisco. Meanwhile, the 49ers travel to face the Kansas City Chiefs, who are climbing the board. In May, you could get the Chiefs at 40/1. They were 25/1 heading into week 1, and after consecutive wins, now stand at 12/1. They are tied with the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles. The top of the board includes the Los Angeles Rams (13/2) , New England Patriots (13/2), Jacksonville Jaguars (9/1), and Minnesota Vikings (9/1).If you’re still shopping around for Super Bowl odds, the 49ers are probably going to slip a notch this week. They could very well upset the Chiefs, but going on the road against that high powered offense is going to be a tough one. They follow that up with a road game against the Los Angeles Chargers. While LA will likely be without Joey Bosa, it’s a tough one to handicap for the time being.Football Outsiders dropped their latest playoff odds. The 49ers saw a 4.7 percent increase in their playoff chances, while the Seattle Seahawks dropped 11.1 percent and dropped behind them in the NFC West. FO also offers odds on landing the top pick and a top five pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. The 49ers currently rank eighth in both categories.