Colin Kaepernick Faces “Very, Very Big Uphill Battle” To Make 49ers

According to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, Colin Kaepernick faces a “very, very big uphill battle” to make the 49ers.

“Regardless of politics or not, he has a very, very big uphill battle to make this team,” Glazer said, via Pro Football Talk. “I’d be shocked if he’s on the 49ers by the time this season ends. It has nothing to do with political views whatsoever. He lost a ton of weight this offseason, had three surgeries, couldn’t work out, lost that double threat, that size-speed ratio. No political views, he just hasn’t been effective. He’s regressing as a player. I’d be shocked if he’s on this roster by the end of this year. He may not be on it in the next two weeks.”

San Francisco could save a portion of his $11.9 million salary, since it includes offset language.

While it sounds like playing Kaepernick doesn’t appear to be in their plans, it’s worth mentioning that this would be a big risk for San Franscisco, as his 2017 salary of $14.5 million could become fully guaranteed before the 49ers could release him.

With this in mind, it’s possible the 49ers will do the same thing with Kaepernick that the Redskins did with Robert Griffin III last year if he is even able to stick with the team for the entire year.

Kaepernick, 28, is in the third year of his seven-year, $126.97 million contract that included $61 million guaranteed and stands to make a base salary of $11.9 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.

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.