NFL Tickets
After a lost 2015 season that included being benched in favor of Blaine Gabbert, Colin Kaepernick‘s time with the San Francisco 49ers seemed to be over. But November shoulder surgery, and subsequent surgeries on his left knee and right hand, have clouded his situation, and Kaepernick’s $11.9 million base salary for 2016 becomes fully guaranteed on Friday.
Trade rumors have surrounded Kaepernick, spurred in part by his own reported trade request, but the 49ers have remained publicly willing to retain him if a deal to their liking does not come. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network has added a couple layers to the story recently.
They will keep him… Unless they are blown away, of course https://t.co/OLf5XKNnpv
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 28, 2016
“The 49ers would also fully guarantee his salary right now if it got Colin Kaepernick to come off his request to be traded.” @RapSheet
— NFL Media (@NFLMedia) March 28, 2016
Teams with a possible need a quarterback, including the Denver Broncos, New York Jets and Cleveland Browns, have been unwilling to meet any rumored asking price in a trade for Kaepernick, with questions about his recovery from multiple surgeries. His dismal level of play last season also makes it hard to consider taking on a soon-to-be fully guaranteed base salary of close to $12 million for this year, along with a cap hit of nearly $16 million.
If Kaepernick proves to be healthy and effective running Chip Kelly‘s offense early in the season, a trade would theoretically be possible ahead of the trade deadline. But in that case the 49ers would probably want to keep him, even if they draft a quarterback next month, so when push comes to shove the two sides look sure to be stuck with each other for at least one more season.
Share 
