Denver Broncos Close to Trading for 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick
After weeks of reported talks, it appears that Colin Kaepernick is close to being traded from the San Francisco 49ers to the Denver Broncos. ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported Saturday afternoon that the parameters of a deal were in place, but the two sides were working on a restructured contract.
Should they complete a restructured deal, a mid-round draft pick is expected to be on the move to San Francisco.
SF-DEN have parameters of trade agreement on Colin Kaepernick, but still need restructured deal to complete... https://t.co/93waYznrUa
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 2, 2016
Kaepernick’s contract became fully guaranteed on April 1st, which is why a restructure must be completed. His base salary for the 2016 season is $11,900,000, and included a roster bonus of $2,000,000 and a workout bonus of $400,000. Kaepernick has a cap hit of $15,890,753 and his dead money value is $19,297,260.
After taking home a Super Bowl earlier this year, the Denver Broncos were starving for a quarterback. Peyton Manning announced his retirement from the game a couple of weeks after, and his heir-apparent Brock Osweiler signed a large contract in free agency with the Houston Texans.
The team did acquire Mark Sanchez from the Philadelphia Eagles for a conditional future seventh round pick, but the former first round pick’s playing abilities have proven to be limited.
After taking the 49ers to back-to-back NFC Championship appearances, the relationship between Kaepernick and the organization grew tired. The firing of his coach Jim Harbaugh strained the ability to work together even more, prompting Kaepernick to ask for a trade this offseason.
Despite bringing in new head coach Chip Kelly, whose offense would theoretically fit Kaepernick’s talents, the front office and the quarterback would not rebuild their relationship.
This reported deal puts the 49ers in place to possibly draft a quarterback with the seventh overall pick. Hometown prospect Jared Goff from Cal would be the most likely option, since North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz is projected to go earlier in the first round.
Denver can now pass on drafting someone with their 31st overall pick, a move that could have resulted in Paxton Lynch or Connor Cook joining the team.
In five seasons with the 49ers, Kaepernick has over 10,000 passing yards and 56 touchdowns. He has an additional 1,832 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. He replaced former first overall pick Alex Smith and took the league by storm early in his career.