Colin Kaepernick - Pro Football Rumors

Colin Kaepernick To Opt Out At Season’s End

December 4th, 2016 at 8:31am CST by Rory Parks

49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick restructured his contract back in October, a restructure that allows him to opt out of the deal at the end of this season and bars San Francisco from using the franchise tag on him in 2017. At the time of the restructure, we heard that Kaepernick fully planned to exercise his opt-out clause, and as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com writes, those plans have not changed.

Per Rapoport, Kaepernick will void his contract before the start of the 2017 league year in March and become a free agent. And it makes sense. Although the 49ers have not won a game since Week 1, Kaepernick has played well since reprising his role as the club’s starting quarterback, and he appears to be regaining his old form. Over the last four games, he has completed 86 of 145 passes for 1,110 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. He has also rushed for 223 yards over that span. It makes sense, then, that he would want to test the free agent waters, as next year’s crop of available quarterback is topped by the likes of Geno Smith, EJ Manuel, Brian Hoyer, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Mike Glennon (assuming, of course, that the Redskins don’t let Kirk Cousins get away). Even if veteran QBs like Tony Romo and Jay Cutler become available, Kaepernick would still stand to make a great deal of money on the open market.

But Rapoport indicates that Kaepernick could return to the 49ers, a scenario that seemed entirely implausible not too long ago. After all, his talents have played well in head coach Chip Kelly‘s system, and Rapoport writes that the once-strained relationship between the franchise and the quarterback is in a very good place. Kaepernick apparently appreciates the fact that the team supported him as he took a controversial social stance, and Rapoport suggests that the issues that precipitated his near trade to Denver this offseason have all but gone away. Plus, San Francisco will have plenty of money to spend.

Other scribes, however, are more skeptical of the possibility that Kaepernick returns to the Bay Area. Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News, for instance, says that he cannot envision Kaepernick playing for the 49ers next season under the current front office regime (Twitter link). If Kaepernick does decide to move on, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report lays out a few potential destinations, which include the Bears, Broncos, Cardinals, Jets, and Browns.

NFC West Notes: Kaepernick, Bennett, Fisher

November 27th, 2016 at 7:23pm CST by Zachary Links

With 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick likely to opt out of his contract at season’s end, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com will be surprised if he doesn’t get a “$7M chance to start somewhere” next year (Twitter link). The 29-year-old has been solid this season, throwing for 1,144 yards, seven touchdowns, and only two interceptions. He’s also collected 260 yards on the ground. Kaepernick accounted for 409 total yards (296 passing, 113 rushing) and three scores in the 49ers’ 31-24 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday.

More from the NFC West, whose four teams all lost Sunday:

Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett has lost more than $312K of his $1MM roster bonus as a result of missing five games, tweets CBS Sports’ Joel Corry. The veteran was inactive again today’s for the Seahawks’ game against his former team, Tampa Bay, and hasn’t played since Week 7. Bennett’s likely to return next week, head coach Pete Carroll said Sunday (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times).
The Rams are still declining to give an update on head coach Jeff Fisher‘s contractual status, Mike Florio of PFT writes. There has been buzz that the Rams have a deal in place with Fisher, but they are waiting until an opportune time to make it all official. Of course, after Sunday’s 49-21 loss to New Orleans, this isn’t exactly an opportune time. On the flip side, the Rams are seeing some flashes out of No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff, and that could help the overall reception to a new Fisher deal. During Fisher’s four-plus years at the helm, the Rams have gone just 31-43-1, and they haven’t won more than seven games in any individual season. It appears that trend will continue this year.
Fisher made third-year offensive tackle Greg Robinson a healthy scratch for Sunday’s game. Robinson was the second overall pick in the 2014 draft and has started in 38 of 42 appearances, including 26 straight prior to Sunday, but he has nonetheless disappointed and could be on his way out of Los Angeles.

Colin Kaepernick Likely To Opt Out After 2016

October 16th, 2016 at 3:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Under the terms of his restructured contract, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has the option of opting out following the 2016 campaign. And as sources tell Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, Kaepernick “fully plans to exercise” that right and hit the free agent market next spring.

Kaepernick’s new deal wiped out the remaining four years of his contract, and San Francisco is allow barred from using the franchise tag on its quarterback in 2017. The revised contract put to bed any concerns the club may have had about Kaepernick’s injury guarantees kicking in, and perhaps allowed the 49ers to feel comfortable starting Kaepernick over Blaine Gabbert. In today’s loss to the Bills, Kaepernick 13 of 29 passes for 187 yards and one touchdown, and added 66 yards on the ground.

Despite Kaepernick’s struggles, he’d be one of the more attractive free agent options on next year’s market, as the 2017 quarterback class is wholly uninspiring. Aside from Kirk Cousins, other available signal-callers while include Geno Smith, EJ Manuel, Brian Hoyer, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Mike Glennon. Of course, veterans such as Jay Cutler or Tony Romo could also hit the market if released in the coming months.

NFC Notes: Aguayo, Lions, Kaepernick

October 16th, 2016 at 12:34pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a quick swing around the NFC:

Buccaneers rookie kicker Roberto Aguayo connected on a game-winning 38-yard field goal on Monday night, but Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times says that Aguayo’s boot only served to buy Tampa Bay a little extra time to address its kicker situation. Even with the winner, head coach Dirk Koetter sounded as disgusted as he did relieved by Aguayo’s performance this season, and as Stroud observes, if Aguayo continues to struggle–he is 4-of-8 on field goals with one missed extra point in nine tries–it could cause a schism between the coaching staff that is judged on wins and losses and the front office that wants its gamble on drafting Aguayo in the second round to pay off.
Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press believes the Lions opted for veteran Justin Forsett instead of a younger, high-upside back like Karlos Williams simply because they weren’t looking for a project for their backfield. With Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick, and Dwayne Washington all under contract for the next few years, Birkett believes Forsett was a better fit for Detroit’s locker room. Once Riddick returns from injury, Birkett believes he and Washington will split the work about 60-40, with Forsett filling a supporting role.
In the same piece, Birkett writes that there is a very good chance that Matthew Stafford signs a third contract with the Lions next summer, no matter how the teams finishes in 2016. Indeed, Birkett believes the only way Stafford does not sign a new deal with Detroit is if he would rather hit free agency in a couple of years, which currently seems unlikely.
The odds are currently against 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick resurrecting his career in 2016, but if he does, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle says he could leave the Niners “in the lurch.” Under his newly-restructured deal, Kaepernick can void the final three years of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent after the season if he desires. Given the strained relationship between player and team, Kaepernick could look to cash in elsewhere following a strong performance in 2016.
Earlier today, we learned that the Cowboys might not hand the reins back over to Tony Romo even when Romo is fully healthy.

Colin Kaepernick Restructures Contract

October 16th, 2016 at 9:00am CST by Ben Levine

SUNDAY, 9:00am: ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com pass along several more key details of Kaepernick’s restructured deal. Schefter reports that the playing-time incentive of $1MM will be met if Kaepernick plays in 50% of the 49ers’ snaps over the rest of the season, whereas Rapoport indicates that the threshold is set under 50%. Neither scribe explicitly mentions the 34.4% figure that Pelissero reported yesterday.

Rapoport and Schefter do agree that the 49ers purchased an insurance policy in which Kaepernick is the beneficiary, and the policy dictates that if Kaepernick is hurt to the point where he cannot play next season, he would collect $7.5MM tax-free, which is close to what he would have collected in the second year of his original contract (which called for him to make $14.5MM before taxes). As Schefter writes, both sides are now covered in the event Kaepernick suffers an injury that impacts his 2017 availability. He still gets paid, and the 49ers don’t have to count him against their salary cap.

SATURDAY, 3:09pm: Kaepernick’s 2016 cap number vaulted from $15.89MM to $20.23MM, Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets. This revised contract also carries a playing-time incentive of $1MM that can be met if the sixth-year quarterback plays in 34.4 percent of the 49ers’ snaps this season, per Pelissero (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 5:30pm: When the 49ers announced earlier today that Colin Kaepernick would be their starting quarterback this week, we knew it’d only be a matter of time before the two sides agreed on a new contract.

Well, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter and Adam Caplan report that the two sides have agreed to a restructured contract that will wipe out the final four years of Kaepernick’s former deal. The quarterback will now be playing under a one-year contract with a player option for 2017, with the monetary value of the 2016 contract remaining the same. The 28-year-old can opt out of his contract following this season, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent. The 49ers will not be allowed to place the franchise tag on the quarterback.

Kaepernick was set to make $14.5MM next season, and the team would have been stuck with a $19.5MM cap hit if they cut the quarterback. Furthering complicating things were the original contract’s injury guarantees, which would have cemented Kaep’s 2017 salary had he still been injured by April of 2017. Those injury guarantees are the same reason why Kaepernick stuck around for this season, and they’re also a big reason why some think Blaine Gabbert was initially named the team’s starting signal-caller. The two sides have been working on a new contract for months, as Schefter notes, and talks picked up over the past month or so.

Kaepernick originally signed his six-year extension prior to the 2014 season, with the deal being worth up to $126MM. After having led his team to a Super Bowl and NFC Championship appearance, the quarterback has struggled mightily since inking that contract. The former second-rounder hit rock bottom in 2015, completing only 59 percent of his passes for 1,615 yards, six touchdowns, and five interceptions. With Chip Kelly taking over the team this past offseason, some thought that the speedy Kaepernick would be a perfect fit for his new coach’s style of play. Instead, Kelly opted for Gabbert, who has tossed five touchdowns and six interceptions in five games.

Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com notes that the team fully guaranteed the quarterback’s per-game bonuses ($2MM, or $125K per game) through the rest of the season. Meanwhile, Kaepernick’s potential 2017 salary is still at $14.5MM, but ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets that the there’s no guaranteed money. The new deal will include a revised “injury insurance policy” and playing-time bonuses, according to Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee.

Breer’s Latest: Kaep, Tannehill, Ravens, Bills

October 13th, 2016 at 8:31pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick is set to return to the 49ers’ starting lineup this week, but his NFL future was in doubt as recently as last year. At least two teams that looked into Kaepernick as a potential trade acquisition had questions about whether he wanted to continue playing, reports Albert Breer of TheMMQB. Kaepernick ended up staying in San Francisco, of course, and will now take over head coach Chip Kelly‘s offense. If Kaepernick fails under Kelly, the league might not regard the 28-year-old as a viable option anymore, writes Breer, who notes that his career hangs in the balance. “This offense gives him the best chance, no doubt,” one 49ers source said of the mobile Kaepernick, who could become a free agent at season’s end.

Colin Kaepernick To Start For 49ers

October 11th, 2016 at 12:36pm CST by Zachary Links

It’s Colin Kaepernick time. 49ers coach Chip Kelly announced that No. 7 will get the start on Sunday against the Bills. Former starter Blaine Gabbert will now serve as Kaepernick’s primary backup.

In Week 5, Gabbert had a rough outing against the Cardinals and soon after, Kelly left the door open to a quarterback change. Kaepernick, the one-time face of the Niners, made headlines around the world this year for his protest of national anthem. Now, he has an opportunity to make headlines again for his play on the field and not his actions on the sideline.

Kaepernick signed a six-year extension with the 49ers prior to the 2014 season, a deal that had the potential to be worth $126MM. The dual threat QB led the Niners to the NFC title game in the previous season, but he has yet replicate the level of play that earned him a long-term deal. Injuries to his left knee, left shoulder, and right thumb held him back this offseason, but he has apparently healed up in recent weeks.

The 49ers and Kaepernick have been working on a restructuring of his contract and today’s news likely means that it’s a done deal. The amended contract will reportedly alleviate concerns regarding the quarterback’s injury guarantees. For what it’s worth, Kelly told reporters that he’s unsure about Kaepernick’s contract situation.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Colin Kaepernick

October 10th, 2016 at 9:20pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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.

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.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

QB Notes: Kaepernick, Romo, Fitzpatrick

October 9th, 2016 at 10:11am CST by Rory Parks

We learned earlier today that Brian Hoyer will remain the starter in Chicago if he continues to play well, regardless of Jay Cutler‘s health. Now let’s take a look at some other teams facing various types of quarterback dilemmas:

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com chimes in on the Colin Kaepernick situation, reporting that the 49ers are indeed mulling a move to pull starting quarterback Blaine Gabbert in favor of Kaepernick. Although head coach Chip Kelly has not yet had conversations with his full staff regarding his quarterback conundrum, he has had informal, exploratory discussions about making a move. There are, of course, several factors that could influence Kelly’s decision, including Kaepernick’s contract situation–a restructured deal would make San Francisco more willing to put No. 7 on the field–and his health. Although Kaepernick is not yet back to his normal playing weight, his arm at least is back to full strength, and he appears more at ease with his teammates then he has in years past. He does not consistently outperform Gabbert in practice, but at this point, a change probably makes sense and could happen soon.
Despite a great deal of discussion to the contrary, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that there is “zero chance” the Cowboys will start Dak Prescott over a healthy Tony Romo. Romo remains on track to return for the team’s Week 8 matchup against Philadelphia, and the Cowboys believe a healthy Romo will help open up the offense. Although Prescott has played well and is viewed as the quarterback of the future, the Cowboys are running a constricted version of the offense for him, allowing him to be something of a game manager (he has attempted just seven passes that have traveled 20 yards or more in the air). So far all the talk that Romo would become Dallas’ answer to Wally Pipp, that does not appear to be the case.
In a separate piece, La Canfora writes that the Jets have seen enough of Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s turnover issues and that Gang Green is prepared to make a change if Fitz does not reverse the trend immediately. La Canfora says that Fitzpatrick is essentially playing for his job against Pittsburgh this week, and with Geno Smith showing some signs of life in practice, the team would not be averse to handing the reins to Smith if Fitzpatrick struggles against the Steelers (the Jets believe that neither Bryce Petty nor Christian Hackenberg is ready to become the next young quarterback to take the league by storm).
Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer believes that, if Robert Griffin III is able to play again this season, the Browns will give him a chance, regardless of how Cody Kessler is performing at that point (unless, of course, Kessler is playing at an Aaron Rodgers level). However, it is unlikely that RGIII will be healthy enough to return this year, so Cleveland will probably not have to make that decision.

49ers Restructure Colin Kaepernick’s Deal?

October 8th, 2016 at 9:30am CST by Zachary Links

SATURDAY, 9:30am: Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter) has some details on Kaepernick’s new contract.

$2MM in future potential bonuses will now be guaranteed, which is a significant payday for the quarterback. Furthermore, the new contract now features several incentives that are connected to playing time.

FRIDAY, 5:50pm: This is “far from a done deal,” tweets Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Maiocco notes that it could still happen, however.

3:05pm: The 49ers and Colin Kaepernick have reached agreement on a restructuring of his contract, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (Twitter links).

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, per CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora (Twitter link).

The reworked deal could signal that the team is benching Blaine Gabbert and installing Kaepernick as the new starter. However, there is no official word on that front.

Gabbert is coming off of a disappointing game against the Cardinals and coach Chip Kelly has left the door open to a quarterback change. Kaepernick, the one-time starter in SF, has been a lightning rod for controversy this year. Now, he has an opportunity to make headlines again for his play on the field and not his actions on the sideline.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.