The San Francisco 49ers are a team that loves to deal at the draft and while it's nearly impossible, the Niners could trade quarterback Colin Kaepernick after his recent sexual assault investigation and that could be made in a big package of picks to move up and draft Johnny Manziel in the first round, which would enable Jim Harbaugh to get a mobile QB that he likes while avoiding the huge contract extension that Kaep is currently looking to sign.
Now obviously this would be an NFL-magnitude trade and that is why it won't be going down, but before all the fans out there go crazy about this proposal, just know it did NOT come from us here at SWR, but from an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, your hometown paper, as well as a pick up story from ESPN.com. The article puts together an idea that Harbaugh, who has been known for outside the box thinking, could trade part of the 11 picks the team has along with Colin Kaepernick to a team like the Houston Texans, St. Louis Rams or Cleveland Browns for the right to draft Johnny Manziel.
While this is obviously a crazy proposition for a team that has gone to the NFC championship game three years in a row and two with Kaepernick, anyone who knows Harbaugh also knows that nothing is outside the realm of possibility. As the Chronicle article points out, the only reason this is even coming up is because Kaepernick is in the middle of negotiations on a new contract extension and the reports have him asking for Jay Cutler money at around $18 million to $20 million per season.
This is where things get interesting, as Harbaugh has said that he would "love the challenge" of working with Manziel and clearly from his work with Andrew Luck and Kaepernick, he knows his quarterbacks. Kaepernick has shown that he is a major talent in the league, but after just one full season and two straight deep playoff runs but no Super Bowls, are the Niners willing to pay that much that soon? And are they willing to deal with the large cap numbers that a contract that size will bring?
Obviously there are many factors going into this, but this is one reason why the 49ers stock draft picks all year anyway, as they now have the time and firepower to even consider the deal if they want to. Harbaugh has spoken highly of Manziel and while many have questioned whether he can translate into the NFL, the coach said that he greatly respects his talents and also said to reporters that he "sees the field" better than anyone he has seen in college football. The Kaepernick deal would be the most major of what ifs, but it could open some interesting doors for the 49ers down the line.
Last season the team got 3,197 yards and 21 touchdowns from Kaepernick, but he only completed 58 percent of his passes and the team ranked 30th in the league in passing yards per game. Part of that was due to injuries, but Kaep also had a career high 524 yards on the ground and he is as dynamic of a player as there is in the league. This is not something that will happen, but the 49ers have the picks to consider any and all options and if Harbaugh loves Manziel, anything can happen.