As the draft gets closer, the NFL trade rumor mill will start spinning again and since the San Francisco 49ers are a team that loves to deal, some have wondered whether Colin Kaepernick could be moved to a team like the Houston Texans or someone else in the top 10 so that Jim Harbaugh could have the chance to drat Johnny Manziel and this comes after the contract extension talks between the QB and the team were tabled after his sexual assault report.
Now this is an insane trade that likely would never happen, but don't kill the messenger, this was first brought up by the San Francisco Chronicle in a column, which described how the Niners may balk on paying a young quarterback who has not won a Super Bowl yet money like some of the highest paid players in the league. According to the article, the 49ers may not want to pay Kaepernick money like he wants, as he is asking for around $18 to $20 million per season for his contract extension, which would put him in Jay Cutler territory.
Granted, Cutler himself has never been to a Super Bowl and Kaepernick has, but there is a distinct difference in experience and production between the two and Kaepernick may not quite be ready for that big money deal in the Niners eyes. According to Pro Football Talk, NFL.com is reporting that the 49ers and Kaepernick have tabled their contract talks for "the time being" and it most likely has to do with the sexual assault investigation into Kaepernick.
TMZ first reported the news and wrote that police in Florida were looking into an incident involving Kaepernick and while he said that the whole thing was taken out of context, clearly the franchise doesn't mind waiting. That delay could spark some moves for the 49ers, even if they don't move Kaepernick, as they have 11 draft picks heading into the event his season and that means they could potentially take a quarterback at some point in the draft. The report says that Kaepernick and the team are far apart in contract talks anyway and that could lead to the team making a move, as Harbaugh has said that he would love to work with Manziel and while Kaepernick has been fantastic with the Niners, there is room for improvement and with the latest news involving Aldon Smith as well, the 49ers could look to change things up.
Giving Kaepernick a contract like that could be tough on the cap and that may not be something that Harbaugh and Trent Baalke want to deal with over the next few years. Harbaugh knows how to coach quarterbacks, as he had Andrew Luck and Alex Smith and made them successful and he has done the same with Kaepernick and could do the same with Manziel. Harbaugh said that he greatly respects what he does on the field and that he "sees the field" better than most players and while it would be crazy to trade Kaepernick, stranger things have happened.
Kaepernick has been great for the team over the past couple years, but they were the second worst team in the league in passing yards per game and once again Kaepernick was under 60 percent in completing his passes. While he had 3,197 yards and 21 touchdowns, his efficiency could be better and he came through with a career best 524 yards rushing and while he is a dynamic player, Harbaugh loves a challenge and the Niners may not want to pay through the nose for Kaep.
