San Francisco 49ers Rumors: Three Teams Interested In Colin Kaepernick, But Trade Talks Hit A Snag
The San Francisco 49ers are rumored to be hitting a snag in their plans to trade Colin Kaepernick, with three teams reportedly interested, but none of them coming close to finishing a deal.
Many had expected Kapernick to quickly find a new home this offseason, with the 49ers seemingly moving on after benching Kaepernick and him in turn asking for a trade. There are still a handful of teams with big quarterback needs, and three of them are reportedly very interested in Kaepernick — the Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, and New York Jets.
Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee broke down the likelihood of the potential landing spots, saying the Cleveland Browns would make the most sense.
For one, new Browns coach Hue Jackson has long been a fan of Kaepernick during his time with the Oakland Raiders, and even tried to get the Raiders to trade up in the 2011 draft to land Kaepernick.
“Scouting him, I fell in love with the kid,” Jackson said in 2013. “Leader, won a ton of games at Nevada, really impressive when you talked to him, strong, all the tools to win in the NFL. No doubt in my mind he was going to be good.”
Colin Kaepernick reportedly wants to go to Cleveland as well, but there has been a sticking point in working out the details. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that the Browns are offering a third round pick, a bit under the asking price of a second round pick but very close, as they hold the very first pick in the third round.
“In regards to Kaepernick’s contract, the Browns will likely want to cut his current $19 million a year average by more than half. He signed a six-year extension in 2014 worth $114,000,000, including $61 million guaranteed. If he’s on a team’s roster on April 1st, his 11.9 million base salary for 2016 will be guaranteed.”
“His bases in the final four years are as follows: $14.5 million in 2017, $15 million in 2018, $16.8 million in 2019 and $19 million in 2020.”
The San Francisco 49ers are rumored to be working with the Denver Broncos as well, who find themselves in an unexpected quarterback quandary after Brock Osweiler bolted for the Houston Texans.
Colin Kaepernick Trade Rumors: Denver the QB's Preferred Destination? https://t.co/M3nCcQQAGG pic.twitter.com/HPrqrrv8eo
— Gang Green Nation (@GangGreenNation) March 13, 2016
"Sanchez does not replace Colin Kaepernick in the Broncos' crosshairs." (via @RapSheet) https://t.co/pdg1RObIuh
— NFL (@NFL) March 13, 2016
As CBS Sports noted, the Broncos aren’t able to match what the Browns offer, however.
“Denver is also reportedly offering a third-round pick, but it’s a pick far below what Cleveland can throw out there. John Elway offering up his second-round pick (No. 62) might get the deal done, but its understandable he isn’t interested in giving up that much value for a quarterback who was benched for Blaine Gabbert in 2015.
“In this instance Trent Baalke/Chip Kelly hold the cards, knowing they can get mid-60s value for Kap and not being willing to take less.”
The New York Jets could end up being a viable option for Colin Kaepernick, as like the Broncos, they also have an unexpected vacancy. After Ryan Fitzpatrick’s surprising season, many expected the Jets to re-sign him, but Fitzpatrick’s asking price is reportedly far too high. The Jets may now be moving on, and Kaepernick could be the perfect fit for a team that already has a playoff-caliber defense.
The San Francisco 49ers rumors could be dependent on a number of other factors, however. There are still a handful of starting quality quarterbacks available, and should Robert Griffin III and Ryan Fitzpatrick strike new deals, it could accelerate the interest to get a deal for Colin Kaepernick done.
[Picture by Christian Peterson/Getty Images]
