Colin Kaepernick‘s contract won’t be a stumbling block in a quarterback-needy team’s potential deal for the polarizing passer, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports.
Citing the deals given to Sam Bradford, Brock Osweiler and career backup Chase Daniel, La Canfora notes Kapernick’s contract — which the 49ers can shed prior to April 1 — represents less risk than the deals handed to the aforementioned signal-callers. Following this season, a team that trades for Kaepernick could move on from him and take on barely any dead money.
La Canfora, though, expects the 49ers to cut Kaepernick before his $11.9MM base salary becomes guaranteed in April. This will affect the kind of compensation teams are willing to provide in exchange for Kaepernick’s services, La Canfora notes.
The Browns have emerged as the latest team in the driver’s seat for Kaepernick, but the 49ers aren’t in a rush to make a deal. The Broncos, though, strike La Canfora as the best possible landing site for the 28-year-old passer. La Canfora doesn’t believe Ryan Fitzpatrick or Robert Griffin III are too appealing to the Broncos’ brass.
Here are more items from the CBS Sports reporter, beginning with another possible Peyton Manning replacement.
- The Buccaneers turned down a second-round pick from an unknown team in exchange for Mike Glennon, La Canfora writes. Despite the 26-year-old backup quarterback’s contract expiring after this season, the Bucs are inclined to keep Glennon as of now.
- La Canfora can’t envision a team taking a chance on signing Johnny Manziel after he clears waivers following his turbulent and ineffective Browns tenure and hasn’t heard any buzz surrounding a potential landing spot for the third-year quarterback.
- Most personnel men La Canfora’s conversed with rate Derek Wolfe as superior to Malik Jackson, and La Canfora notes the former probably has buyer’s remorse after signing a team-friendly four-year, $36.7MM deal with the Broncos only to watch Jackson land with the Jaguars on a six-year, $85.5MM accord. Pro Football Focus rated Jackson as the far superior player in 2014, when both were healthy after a seizure derailed Wolfe in 2013, but tabbed Wolfe as having a better 2015 season.
- Following the signings of Janoris Jenkins and Sean Smith, Patrick Robinson should be the most coveted cornerback in the remaining crop, La Canfora writes. Robinson had a bounce-back season with the Chargers, but Prince Amukamara and Casey Hayward remain unsigned as well. The respective markets for that duo’s services could well surpass Robinson’s.
- La Canfora expects a run on defensive linemen to come this weekend, with the Bears, Jets, Steelers and Washington being the teams who will be atop the list of suitors. Greg Hardy, Robert Ayers and Nick Fairley are among the best still available.
- Donald Penn would be a suitable replacement for Russell Okung with the Seahawks, La Canfora writes. Penn probably won’t require the annual commitment of Okung as he’s going on his age-33 season. Okung is visiting the Giants and Lions today. Although multiple teams have shown interest, Penn has yet to meet with any teams after his two-year Raiders contract expired.
Huge Bucs fan here. I gotta question LaCan’tfora (quite possibly the worst big name NFL insider). I can’t see why the Bucs, with huge needs all over the defense and OL, wouldn’t move a back up QB who will be a FA at the end of the year anyway, for a second rounder. Makes no sense to me. A QB needy team would figure to have a higher 2nd rounder as well. Glennon is a good QB but anyone in their right mind makes that trade.
I think La Canfora is generally on point with this stuff, but that one seems a little hard to believe to me too. Would like to know more details — did they get this offer recently, or last year? Where did the second-rounder fall? (It’s a little easier to believe they turned down Denver’s second-rounder rather than Cleveland’s, for instance).
I guess, based on the deals QBs have been signing for lately, they figure Glennon will do well enough in free agency to land them a high compensation pick. But if they were actually offered a second-rounder, I think it would make sense to take it, then go out and sign a solid, mid-priced backup like Matt Moore or something.
Good points