The 49ers’ offer of a contract restructure to quarterback Colin Kaepernick is “awaiting his signature,” reports Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter links). Kaepernick, like all other San Francisco players, has been out of town since the club’s Thursday night game, and won’t return until tomorrow. It’s unclear if Kaepernick is planning to sign off on the new deal at the time.
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The new deal should alleviate concerns regarding the quarterback’s injury guarantees. Meanwhile, it will also give Kaepernick an opportunity to void his deal after this season should he outperform his contract. The deal effectively does away with No. 7’s guarantees in 2017 and could cut off the final three years of the pact. It will also allow the 49ers to receive a compensatory pick if Kaepernick voids the contract and signs elsewhere during the offseason.
One new detail of the proposed restructuring is that the 49ers would guarantee Kaepernick’s remaining weekly gameday active bonuses, which would total $1.375MM, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). The new contract could signal that San Francisco is willing to bench Blaine Gabbert and start Kaepernick in Week 6. Head coach Chip Kelly left that possibility open, but the club hasn’t made an official decision.
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