Colin Kaepernick Rumors: Saturday

Trade rumors have swirled around 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for months, but it looks like a resolution might be close, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported earlier today that San Francisco is close to working out a trade that would send Kaepernick to the Broncos. The only issue reportedly obstructing a deal is Kaepernick’s $11.9MM base salary, which became fully guaranteed yesterday. Let’s dive into the latest on the trade talks…

  • Though Schefter indicated that the 49ers and Broncos had agreed upon the parameters of a trade — with San Francisco sending a mid-round pick to Denver — Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links) reports that no such agreement is in place. The deal can still happen, says Rapoport, but there many obstacles and Kaepernick’s visit with Broncos general manager John Elway didn’t change things.
  • Schefter, meanwhile, doubled down on his initial report, adding (via Twitter) that the two clubs agreeing on draft pick compensation was the “easy part” of the talks. But a finalized trade is still not close because the Broncos need to convince Kaepernick to take less money, per the ESPN scribe.
  • Mike Klis of 9News chimes in (Twitter link), noting that the term “mid-round pick” could conceivably identify any slot in rounds three through five. However, Denver doesn’t have a pick in the fourth round, having lost their selection as a part of a trade with the Ravens to acquire Gino Gradkowski. The Broncos do own pick No. 94 in the third round and No. 144 in the fifth round, and additionally, it’s possible that a trade might include future draft pick compensation.
  • The Broncos have long been the most likely landing spot for Kaepernick, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, but “a lot” of progression is still needed before any trade becomes finalized.
  • Nothing is imminent in terms of a trade, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link), who also hears the draft pick compensation has not yet been agreed to.
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