While Colin Kaepernick remains unsigned, he apparently had a chance to stay with the San Francisco 49ers — just not at what he was being paid.
Team CEO and principal owner Jed York said on Tuesday that the team would not pay Kaepernick the north of $20 million that his contract said he was owed for the 2017 season.
At that point, Kaepernick requested a release.
York said he sat down with Kaepernick given that 49ers would not pay what his salary mandated. Colin asked for his release
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) October 17, 2017
This is certainly something that will be brought up in his case that the NFL is colluding against him.
While Kaepernick himself has remained fairly quiet, a common narrative has been that he’d be willing to take a reduced salary. If York’s claim is indeed true, that does become a harder argument to make.
With that said, arguments involving Kaepernick are rarely as simple as they seem. Expect to hear responses to this one.