Colin Kaepernick could be headed to the Denver Broncos if the San Francisco 49ers and John Elway can come to an agreement over how much compensation each side is responsible for in 2015, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Broncos want to pay Kaepernick $7 million and have the 49ers pick up the remaining $4.9 million the quarterback is owed on his contract. Not surprisingly, per Schefter, the 49ers aren’t interested in paying for a player who won’t be on the roster.
However, if the two sides were to come to an accord, Schefter is reporting a deal would get done “in two seconds” that would send Kaepernick to the Broncos for the upcoming season. He has been reporting since Saturday that the framework for a trade has been brokered between the two franchises and that compensation is the only thing holding it up.
Other reports have indicated the two sides aren’t as close to a deal as this, though. Ian Rapoport chimed in at the same time yesterday:
My understanding of the Kaepernick situation: No agreement on his pay cut for #Broncos. #49ers & Denver have yet to come to terms on picks.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 2, 2016
Whatever the case, it seems crystal clear that Kaepernick has continued to push for his departure from San Francisco, despite the team’s purported interest in keeping him.
If he does end up in Denver, then Kaepernick would have to compete for the starting job under Gary Kubiak, just like he’d have to compete with Blaine Gabbert if he stays with the 49ers.
Either way, he has a lot of work cut out for him to prove the past two years of regression were just a couple of speed bumps, rather than a trend that will define his career.