Colin Kaepernick plans to void the final year of his contract and become a free agent, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, although it’s still possible he could re-sign with the San Francisco 49ers.
Colin Kaepernick expected to void contract after 2016 season, but could return to 49ers
Colin Kaepernick reportedly plans to opt out of his deal and become a free agent, but that doesn’t make much sense.
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
It’d be an odd decision by Kaepernick, who is slated to make $14.5 million in base salary in 2017 after renegotiating his contract with the 49ers earlier in the season. He has a player option for the final year of the deal and has the choice to opt out. But it seems unlikely that he’d be able to find a contract that pays him more in 2017.
Regardless, Kaepernick is likely to generate some interest if he does become an unrestricted free agent, considering the quality of his play in recent weeks. After his performance steadily declined over the past four seasons, Kaepernick has had a resurgence since being reintroduced as the 49ers’ starting quarterback. And he’s playing some of the best football of his career, albeit for a bad team.
In his last four games, Kaepernick tallied 1,110 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, two interceptions and 223 rushing yards.
But it would make plenty of sense for the 49ers and Kaepernick to stick together in 2017. The team is still in the early stages of a rebuild and will likely look to add a new, young quarterback to the mix. But it could be tough to send out a rookie to start for a team with so many holes on the roster.
It could also be in Kaepernick’s best interest to spend more time in Chip Kelly’s offense and continue to find a rhythm in a system that’s clearly playing well to his abilities.
See More:
