Report: Broncos-49ers trade in place if Kaepernick reworks contract
Kaepernick and the Broncos are reportedly not close to an agreement on a restructured deal but will continue to discuss it.
By
Jared Dubin
•
2 min read
A trade of Colin Kaepernick from the San Francisco 49ers to the Denver Broncos has been rumored for much of the 2016 offseason. Per a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter, the two sides have agreed to such a deal, with one hitch.
The agreement on trade compensation between Denver and San Francisco will not be an issue in any potential trade for Kaepernick, sources said. The compensation is expected to be some type of mid-round pick.
The real question is whether the Broncos and Kaepernick can work out a restructured deal; the Broncos and 49ers already have the parameters of theirs in place.
This lines up with other recent reports indicating that the Broncos wanted Kaepernick to take a pay cut before agreeing to trade for him. As we wrote earlier on Saturday afternoon when it was reported that Kaepernick had met with Broncos GM John Elway:
Another issue complicating a potential deal is that all $11.9 million of Kaepernick's base salary for 2016 became guaranteed this week. That's why Denver reportedly wants him to take a $4 million pay cut if the Broncos and 49ers wind up agreeing to a trade. The Broncos are currently just north of $1.9 million under the salary cap, per Spotrac, so even fitting a base salary of $7.9 million on their books will require a bit of maneuvering.
They can create some space by restructuring the contracts of Ryan Clady and/or Aqib Talib, converting some or all of their 2016 base salaries into signing bonuses. They can also cut ties with Clady altogether, a move that would shave $8.9 million off their 2016 cap figure, now that they've signed Russell Okung to play left tackle.
Another possibility is agreeing to a long-term deal with Von Miller, who is currently set to play 2016 under the franchise tag and count against the cap for just over $14.1 million. If they come to a long-term agreement, the Broncos can give him a large signing bonus and defer his base salary to later years, thereby lowering his cap hit and creating more room to bring in other players like Kaepernick.
Per Schefter's report, though, the Broncos and Kaepernick are not close to an agreement on exactly what kind of pay cut, if any, the quarterback will take in an effort to facilitate this trade. Kaepernick and the Broncos will continue talking to see if they can come to an agreeable number, per the report.
