49ers Will Reportedly Attempt To Trade Colin Kaepernick During The Draft

March 18, 2016

ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirms a report from yesterday that trade talks involving 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick are cooling off, and he’s expected to be on their roster as of April 1.

However, the 49ers will still attempt to Kaepernick during this year’s draft.
As of now, a trade with either the Broncos, Jets and Browns is not considered imminent, according to Schefter.

Yesterday, Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area reports that trade talks involving Kaepernick have gone cold in the past week, and it appears as though the 49ers are preparing for him to be back with the team in 2016.

“There’s a good chance he’s still on the team the way things look now,” a source told Maiocco.

According to Maiocco’s source, the Browns, Broncos and Jets haven’t shown much urgency towards getting a trade done for Kaepernick, and the 49ers are sticking to their demands in return for their quarterback.

Maiocco mentions that San Francisco is believed to be seeking a second- or early third-round draft pick for Kaepernick at this point in time.

At one point last week, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Kaepernick was going to be trade, most likely to the Broncos or Browns. However, there has been so little buzz in the past few days about a deal that it really seems like he could be competing for the 49ers’ starting job along with Blaine Gabbert.

Kaepernick, 28, is entering the third year of his seven-year, $126.97 million contract that included $61 million guaranteed and stands to make a base salary of $13.9 million for the 2016 season.

While those numbers are impressive on their own, the contract is essentially a pay-as-you-go agreement that includes ways for San Francisco to walk away with limited repercussions, as long as Kaepernick is healthy.

The April 1 first is especially important in regards to Kaepernick, as his base salary becomes guaranteed for the 2016 season at that point.

According to OverTheCap.com, trading Kaepernick would free up $8,493,493 in available cap space and create $7,397,260 in dead money.

In 2015, Kaepernick threw for 1,615 yards while completing 59.3 percent of his passes to go along with six touchdowns and five interceptions over the course of eight games. He also added 228 yards rushing and a touchdown.

We’ll have more regarding Kaepernick as the news is available.