San Francisco 49ers: Three-Way Perspectives on QB Colin Kaepernick & His Trade Rumors

The San Francisco 49ers were reportedly close to dealing quarterback Colin Kaepernick to the Denver Broncos. But contractual reworkings negated any deal from taking place. While anything could still happen, Niner Noise evaluates each perspective from all three sides.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick remains with the San Francisco 49ers until he, well, doesn’t. It’s that simple.

Say what you want about the ongoing rumors and reports of Kaepernick being “that close” to a trade with the Denver Broncos, only to be held up by $4.9 million, and then all sides being at an impasse with no such trade taking place.

This is precisely where things stand right now, as Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweeted out on Monday.

But that doesn’t mean the situation will stay that way. The perceived standoff could be a “negotiating ploy,” as illustrated by Chris Biderman of Ninerswire.com.

Whatever the case may be, one needs to take a step back and evaluate each party’s perspective on the situation and what is in the best interest of all three involved. To put things bluntly, the 49ers don’t want to pay Kaepernick to play in Denver, the Broncos don’t want to pay Kaepernick’s $11.9 million guaranteed money and Kap doesn’t want to take a pay cut.

So let’s dive deeper.

Recapping the Situation

To sum things up, the Broncos appeared to be the best suitors for Kaepernick after his camp requested a trade earlier this offseason.

Denver had lost quarterbacks Peyton Manning (retirement) and Brock Osweiler (free agency) and was suddenly left scrambling for a starting-worthy replacement. And it’s hard to view quarterback Mark Sanchez as a legitimate option.

A deal was nearly finalized but held up by the contractual elements, according to 9News’ Mike Klis.

Kaepernick had even met with Broncos general manager John Elway, per a report from CBS Sports, although the perceived deal continued to be held up by terms of Kaepernick’s contract.

The Broncos were willing to give Kaepernick $7 million for 2016. And if Kaepernick didn’t want to accept a renegotiation of his deal, Denver wanted San Francisco to cover the remaining $4.9 million.

And the 49ers weren’t willing to do so.

Kaepernick’s Perspective

There may be those who argue Kaepernick should simply accept the pay cut and take the $7 million offered to him to make the deal go through.

Kap would be out from what many believe to be a toxic situation in Santa Clara and would be joining the ranks of a Super Bowl champion franchise. The new setting may be exactly what the embattled signal-caller needs to resurrect his floundering career.

But that argument fails to point out why Kaepernick would want to give back guaranteed money in the first place.

True, nothing in the NFL is guaranteed. But therein lies the point. This league is such that the next play may be a player’s last. Or a player could sign a lucrative deal, only to find himself a cap casualty and/or released shortly thereafter.

We won’t get into the nuances of player financials in their respective post-NFL careers, but it’s safe to say any athlete should get what he can while he can.

It’s an argument backed up by CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco:

ESPN’s Matt Bowen went into further detail:

"This is already a brutal game. The beating put on a player’s body, the constant talk and fear of concussions, the shelf life during an actual NFL career … I mean, players are cut all of the time. Four- and five-year deals are really two-year contracts and rookies are drafted every spring to replace weathered, experienced vets. It’s an endless cycle where you just try to survive before the league pushes you out the back door."

Why would Kaepernick take a pay cut? Why should he? It’s a perspective Kap should feel perfectly happy about having. There’s no reason he’d want to budge.

Kaepernick was in attendance for the 49ers’ first session of offseason activities, which will help him meet his $400,000 workout bonus for participation. Again, why would Kap sit this out? He’s on the team until he’s not.

The 49ers Perspective

Just like fans may be upset with Kaepernick not budging over $4.9 million, many will also point the finger at the 49ers for not wanting to eat that portion of the contract.

After all, the fledgling Niners could use additional draft picks. They have the cap space as well — $52,154,301, per Over the Cap — which makes the money San Francisco would have to eat seem like mere “chump change.”

If the writing is on the wall, the 49ers want to move on from Kaepernick, right? At least that’s what the rumors and speculation have been telling us since long before the start of the offseason.

Not so fast.

First, we can point out head coach Chip Kelly’s comments about wanting to have Kaepernick on the roster in 2016. This stands in contrast to a tweet from Dianna Russini of ESPN (h/t CBS Sports), which stated Kelly didn’t want Kaepernick. Although the latter doesn’t exactly seem anything more than speculation. Take from it what you wish.

Regardless, the 49ers aren’t simply going to pass off Kaepernick while eating a portion of his contract because the Broncos want them to do so.

Prospect quarterbacks are unproven commodities, which is the route many would speculate San Francisco would go if Kap was traded. What’s the percentage of draft-eligible quarterbacks who have noteworthy NFL careers? It can’t be a high number.

Kaepernick may not be the dynamic star he once was in 2012. But there remains a shot he can invigorate his career under Kelly’s tutelage.

Even if the 49ers want to eventually move on from Kap, they won’t be pressed into “selling low” when there’s a likelihood they can table this discussion for another year — a season in which a Kelly-Kap relationship has revealed its merits and downfalls.

And why would San Francisco want to pony up the $4.9 million to have a player suit up on another team’s roster? Would you pay an employee of yours to leave your place of employment and go do the same sort of work for the competition?

The Broncos Perspective

That competition is, of course, the Broncos. Although it’s doubtful Denver and San Francisco come to blows in anything more than a regular-season game anytime soon.

The Broncos’ perspective on the situation also makes sense.

Yes, they’re desperate for a new starting-caliber QB. Although last year’s team showed it can without having an elite signal-caller under center. But Denver isn’t exactly in a situation where paying the entirety of Kaepernick’s guaranteed salary is doable.

The Broncos have just $1,058,696 in cap space, per OTC — second lowest among all NFL teams. Sure, parting ways with left tackle Ryan Clady and his $9.5 million guaranteed salary would help. But even this move won’t totally ensure Denver can absorb all of Kaepernick’s 2016 contract.

Essentially, the Broncos have set their own “highest we’ll go” buy price on Kaepernick. Accepting anything higher may put Denver into some cap danger.

And then there’s the notion surrounding how badly the Broncos want Kaepernick. Perhaps Kap enjoys a good amount of success under head coach Gary Kubiak and his offense. And there are some bona fide weapons with which Kaepernick can work.

For what it’s worth, the Broncos did offer Osweiler $14 million — a number he rejected in favor of what the Houston Texans were willing to give.

Yet Denver is fully aware of Kap’s struggles from 2014 through 2015. It’s no secret, even if the then-49ers coaching staff (thank you, Geep Chryst) had something to do with Kaepernick’s regression.

Think of the situation in these terms: Denver traded for tight end Vernon Davis last year, and the winner of that deal was San Francisco after the veteran was a virtual non-factor for Kubiak and Co. Kaepernick is in a different context, but the Broncos will still view any transaction as an investment.

Investments are accompanied by risks. Denver wants to minimize its own.

More from Niner Noise

• 49ers 2023 NFL Draft tracker: Pick-by-pick news and analysis
• Predicting 49ers NFL Draft picks by looking at final mocks
• DraftKings NFL Draft Promo – Win $150 Guaranteed on Any $5 Bet 
• 2023 NFL Draft: EDGE Byron Young could be impact player for 49ers
• 5 low-key NFL Draft options for 49ers who are flying under the radar

So that’s where things stand right now. Yes, developments could change all of this in an instant. Perhaps the 49ers end up feeling OK about moving Kaepernick and eating $4.9 million after all. Or maybe Kaepernick bends on the restructuring of his current deal, even if it’s not the best route a player can take. He may just want a change of scenery that bad.

Or maybe the Broncos get even more desperate as the NFL Draft approaches and their options dry up.

Who knows?

What we do know is the 49ers are not in a position where they need to budge. Neither is Kaepernick. Perhaps only the Broncos have the stickiest of situations. And it’s not all that detrimental, depending on how one chooses to view it.

So, for now, Kaepernick is on the roster until he isn’t.

Next: Kaepernick Trade Appears Dead in the Water

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated.