Colin Kaepernick restructures contract with the 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers just confirmed quarterback Colin Kaepernick has agreed to renegotiate his contract with the team.

The new contract is a “one-year deal with a player option to extend the deal for next year,” according to Adam Schefter, and does not contain the $14.5-million injury guarantee which was in the previous deal.

What do you think of this news? Which side came out on top, Kaepernick or the 49ers?

This article has 204 Comments

  1. Who asks their player to help them win games on the condition of waiving their injury guarantee? The 49ers, that’s who! Deplorable!

    1. Yea, funny way to conduct business – even for the NFL.

      Motto: Keep the faith – not in the player but in the business.

    2. Puh Leze! The player didn’t have to sign this deal. It has a benefit for him too. Kaepernick gets the player option for next year and he gets the freedom to test the market after this year if he wants it. This deal helps both sides or the players agents are borderline negligent for allowing him to sign it. In fact, how do you know the players agent didn’t propose this exact deal to the 49ers? That scenario happens all the time.

    1. The Yorks don’t lose Big P. They just cash in. They’ve made so much money after this new stadium deal, they are literally swimming in it.
      Now they have sacrificed their only son to shoulder the blame but what does he care. It’s the easiest stress to deal with cause all he has to do is look at his bank statement and all is forgotten!

    2. What so many here are missing is that this restructure only helps the 49ers meet salary cap spending requirements for another 4 years. They extended an aging Bowman who will never play for the team again, they pay Kaepernick a little more in 2016 to be able to keep more money later as the team meets the spending requirements of the NFL salary cap.
      The Yorks are very good at materializing and profiting from the NFL and this restructure is just more of the same. They are the only winners. Not the fans. Not the players. Simply the Yorks.

      1. They are only the winners if your criteria for winning is profit. Community support, goodwill, fan loyalty, team talent level stature within the league is next to nothing now. They are the NFLs biggest losers when it comes to all those things. The vast majority of fans either dislike or truly HATE Jed York’s bumbling, know-it-all attitude, his stadium is a fiasco, he blew off San Francisco for Santa Clara. He is a spoiled, spoon fed, clueless bald spot on the well grown landscape of the Bay Area. If you wish to call that being a winner, I guess that’s your right.

        1. PhD, you do realize the 49ers gave San Francisco every opportunity to keep the team?

          Jed made a mistake hiring Tomsula as it set the team back a season IMO. But Jed swung for the fences hiring Chip, and it’s far too early to call that decision another mistake.

          I’ll be right there with you if Trent Baalke remains the GM’s at the end of the season. That would signal, IMO, a level of satisfaction with losing and contentment to simply make money hand over fist.

          But I haven’t seen anything that tells me Jed doesn’t want to own a winning team, or that profits are all that matter. Chip Kelly was not a safe pick. The 49ers paid a premium for Chip Kelly (without even considering the amount of money the team still owes Tomsula) and there were far cheaper, and perhaps safer options available. Hiring Chip Kelly was Jed’s way of taking a risk in order to get this team turned around. Were 5 games into Kelly’s tenure, and it’s pretty clear this team doesn’t have a franchise QB on it’s current roster (we’ll see). Promoting Colin and restructuring his contract was clearly a step in the right direction. Whining about the past is simply useless, and using this story as a time to cry about the last couple years comes across as childish, frankly, IMO.

          It’s certainly been a tough couple seasons, but such is life in the NFL if you aren’t one of the fortunate teams that have an elite QB. It’s very hard to maintain success once you start winning, and the 49ers won a lot during their recent Super Bowl run.

          The fact that this team is in rebuilding mode after a run of success, is nothing new to the NFL. The question now is, how do they rebuild the roster and field a competitive team in the near future? This step at least gives the team a little more flexibility and carity at the QB position moving forward.

      2. Nonsense Matt. If Colin didn’t see this as a win for him, he wouldn’t have been so eager to sign the deal. Kap was under no obligation to sign this deal. With gabbert flaming out as quickly as he did this season, CK inherited all of the leverage. And Colin smartly used that leverage to restructure his contract into something that works better for him long term. It just so happens that this deal was a win-win for both parties involved, and therefore there isn’t another NFL front office in the league that wouldn’t have reworked Colin’s deal.

        I get it Matt. You want to pretend that the 49ers do business differently than everyone else, and they are the only team making obscene profits, therefore they don’t care about winning.

        News flash Matt: every team in the league is making money, hand over fist.

        And in this case, restructuring his deal was a win for both parties involved, and because of that, there isn’t a team in the league that wouldn’t have made this deal. If you are being honest, there is absolutely no way to see this as anything but a win for the “player”, in this case Kaepernick! The only way this deal doesn’t benefit Colin is if he actually never wanted to be an NFL starter in this league again, and truly didn’t believe he could boost his status, and value, while starting for the 49ers for the balance of the 2016 season.

        And if that’s the case, and you want this team to win Matt, why in the world are you whining? SMH

    3. Its always been the Yorks behind Harbaugh’s firing and keeping the payroll at bottom of the barrel type players. The Yorks don’t give hoot about winning. Its a business, they don’t care about winning at all.

      1. Sorry hawki, this payroll nonsense has already been totally debunked. And, your lack of understanding how the salary cap works, and how to build a roster for long term success, along with your shortsighted thinking, makes me glad you aren’t the guy with the purse strings.

        The 49ers are in rebuilding mode, and are trying to make contract decision based on rebuilding the roster in the most effective way. Spending salary cap money, for the sake of spending, without a long term goal is fool’s gold, and would only dig a deeper hole for this franchise. The league has rules that allow teams to “carry over” unspent money, allowing them flexibility to spend money effectively, while rebuilding their rosters. There is a reason teams aren’t required to spend every penny they have available under the cap, during every single offseason.

        Teams that have what are perceived as postseason contending rosters tend to max out their salary cap short term, in order to “push” their rosters over the top. However, this type of strategy would work against itself for teams that are in full rebuild mode, with rosters that require a lot of roster moves, whom they are evaluating with the goal of signing long term. The 49ers have been one of latter lately, as they are a team in transition at the moment. They are one of the teams that are trying to rebuild a depleted roster in order to get back into contention, with the overall goal of building a roster that can compete LONG TERM. Spending foolishly just because they had the cap space to do it last offseason could very well hinder the team’s ability to build a successful roster, built for long term success.

        The 49ers plan during this last offseason was to carry over a large portion of their salary cap space over and use this season to evaluate talent in order to weed out the least talented players and sign worthy players to long term contracts. And the more flexibility to do that under the salary cap, the better. You’re going to see this team spend a lot of money in the next couple years, and their plan is to spend it in a smart, calculated, effective manner.

        And, unless Colin is able to resurrect his career during the remainder of this season, it’s starts with finding their future, franchise QB in the upcoming offseason, and then spending a large portion of their cap space on offensive playmakers, and plugging a hole or two on defense.

        The 49ers are down, but they aren’t out unless they spend money foolishly!

  2. Kaep gets to roll out of town at end of season, which is what he wanted this last off season. So its a bit of a win for him.

    49ers eliminate any risk of having what happened this past off season happening again, so it is a bit of win for them too.

    But really both sides have lost by not budging earlier and putting up with each other this season, when neither side wanted to. Stupidity.

    1. Well it looks like Kap is unlikely to get “hurt” again this year and not get surgery late. It also looks like he may actually try to play well so he can find better climes. As you said Scooter this should have happened a long time ago so both could part company.

      1. Well it looks like Kap is unlikely to get “hurt

        You have noticed they are running more and more zone reads, right? Waive the injury $$$ and we’ll run you to death. Sounds fair to me….

        1. He doesn’t have to run if doesn’t want to. But he will cuz that’s his talent. He wants to play somewhere next year and getting on the field now is the only way that’s going to happen. You all do remember how bad he was the last several times anyone saw him play, right?

        2. Hey raz dosent matter ninerz are out good news bet against them will always win sad Walsh dinisty is gone forever you know need new owner new montana get him in there jerry rice to run the show get trump to buy the team the hole niners are so pitiful for years never going to a game never a rip off for all money for are familys and 70 guy haircut wanna be a new black panther wheres the comb in his hair he looks like an low life street person would you hire him to represent your company

        3. Razor,

          It is the one thing he can do. They’ve tried making a pocket passer and you remember those results. I have already posted several of Kaps deficiencies as a QB. Those were and continue to be his albatross. I imagine teams will spy a linebacker on Kap daring him to beat them from the air, something he has proved woefully inadequate at doing.

          So what is left? Running him. The FO does not wish to be saddled with a mediocre backup QB with a starters salary, again. If he wants to play and prove his worth and his first contract was supposed to do that till he got hurt and then needed surgery so late that it would keep him injured past the deadline on the contract, well the team was not about to outright risk having hurt again so they started working a compromise. This is the result. Late but workab

    2. U gotttit, Scoot.
      The only way this works for CK is an escape clause. He was caught in a spider web with his contract protections; he couldn’t prove his potential worth under the “gauze”.
      So, for him: Fine.
      So, for team: Back to Zero. CK is gone. Gabbert is irrelevant. Ponder is previously-failed (see Gabbert), and no Messiah or even Band-Aid in sight. 2017 QB prospects SUCK! Faulk? Jeez, a Ponder at best! The others being better than Gabbert is like being smarter than Seb or TomD; so what?

    3. Scooter, this was an inevitable outcome once the team was unable to trade Colin and Blaine was named starter, and flamed out so quickly this season. This was a win-win for both parties, and, while I understand what you are saying about the way things worked out with Colin this past offseason, I hope you realize this clarifies the team’s future with Colin, and puts them in a better position with Colin moving forward.

      Would you rather be stuck with Blaine starting, or roll with Ponder for the remainder of the season?

      Would you rather the 49ers sign Blaine to an extension? Blaine Gabbert is a free agent at the end of the season, and it’s almost always better to give a rookie QB time to develop in this league, before being asked to carry the load. The 49ers are now in a much better position regarding Colin’s contract. If Colin plays well for the balance of this season, and proves to be a great fit for this offense, as many “experts” believe is tailor made for his skillset, he’d be a fool to simply void his contract at the end of the season. If Colin continues to struggle, he’ll have a $14 million dollar reason to stick around for the final year of his contract, and help groom his replacement, if the 49ers decide that’s their best route. And the team can still decide to simply release Colin at the end of this season, with no dead money, and roll with a rookie in 2017.

  3. I think its win/win, but also lose/lose

    CK Wins – He gets to play. He can can bail from the 49ers when he wants to, and shop his wares league wide in 2017 or 2018.
    49ers Wins – They are no longer at risk for paring (another) $14m for 2017 if CK gets hurt

    CK Loses – Unless he absolutely kills it on the field, his next contract will be lower. Also, many teams will be shy of signing a controversial figure.
    49ers Lose – The don’t have a QB nailed down long term. They will have to go into the 2017 QB needy. They could be forced to skip a great Edge, WR, TE, MLB to roll the dice on a historically less certain position like QB. It bumps the rebuilding phase at least a year. Forget playoffs in 2017.

    1. “CK Loses – Unless he absolutely kills it on the field, his next contract will be lower. Also, many teams will be shy of signing a controversial figure.”

      Not really. Only if Kaep got hurt again and wouldn’t have been fit by April 1 would the 49ers have had to pay him for another season. So he probably would have been a FA anyway. This way Kaep gets to play this season to audition for a job next year and he has control of his future not the 49ers.

      “49ers Lose – The don’t have a QB nailed down long term. They will have to go into the 2017 QB needy.”

      Again, I think this would have been the case anyway. The 49ers want to move on from Kaep. While Kelly keeps saying the decision to play or not play Kaep was his and not based on contract, the fact they are getting this deal in place before he starts speaks to the truth of the matter. They were willing to give Kaep all the leverage at the end of the season to avoid being in a situation where they had to pay him another year. The 49ers want him gone. They were already planning to head into 2017 without him.

      1. If that is the case then why not deactivate him all year. Kelly wants to see what he has in Kaep. If Kaep plays well Balke is gone. If Kaep plays bad Balke is gone. Why would Kaep leave if he thrives under Kelly? This is basically a two year contract. If Kaep plays well he can return for another year at 14.5 mil. If he plays bad he is gone. It’s clear to me that there is a shift in power. Kelly&Gamble will be running the Niners next year. Balke is toast…..

        1. “why not deactivate him all year”.

          Bad PR. This team already has enough issues with image to make such a move.

          The real question is if they don’t want to move on from Kaep, and aren’t worried about avoiding having to pay him if he gets injured, why change his contract to get rid of the injury guarantee and give Kaep all the leverage on whether he stays at the end of the season?

          1. Bad PR

            Scooter, just what in the hell do you call asking a player to play for you, but first sign away your injury guarantee. Oh, by the way. We’re running more read option. Seems like a strange PR move if you’re hoping to bring in anything other than scrubs as F/A’s….

              1. I disagree and I think Colin must really hate Baalke and Kelly, because he’s taking a yuuuge risk to get out of town….

              2. You think it would have been better from a PR perspective to shut him out like the Redskins did to RGIII?

              3. It’s very clear Kelly wants him to be the QB right now. It actually seems that Kelly has been planning to play him all along. What’s also clear is that Balke does not want him to play. So Kelly went to Balke and said what if he waives his injury clause for next year. Balke was reluctant but had no choice but to agree. This was a power struggle that Kelly won.

              4. Yep, because that’s how we do business here in Indiana. We don’t screw players who go out and bleed, and have a steel rod inserted into their leg. Out here, we still believe in honor. They signed the contract. They don’t want him, he doesn’t want them. They were never going to play him unless he gave them what they wanted, even though he gave the team a better chance at victories. That’s not fair to your fans or the team. Blackmail is bad business, bad PR for any F/A’s that are worth a damn. The Redskins did the honorable thing, and RG3, as putrid a player as he was, got another opportunity. No black mark left on the Redskins Franchise and no hard feelings. That’s how you do business, Scooter. You don’t do it the way York/Baalke/Marathe do….

              5. Wow, ok. I think it is far worse to shut a guy out entirely than renegotiate a deal. That’s just me I guess. I have absolutely no idea how anybody sees what the Redskins did to RGIII as ‘honorable’.

              6. Razor, I agree, but do not wish for Kaep to get the RGIII treatment. I hope Kaep plays well, and they can keep him while paying him well.

                I have said from the day that he went to Colorado to get his surgeries that he was justified in leaving because of the heinous treatment they made him suffer. I am so glad that he is big enough to forgive their slights, and it makes me admire him and his stellar character even more.

                It also makes me want to throw up over the way the FO has behaved.

              7. renegotiate a deal?

                We’re not talking about renegotiating a deal. We’re talking a pay for play ultimatum. Either you give up your injury guarantee or you don’t play. I have no problem at all with a proper negotiation, but like I said, where I come from, that’s called playing hardball and you only do that if it’s warranted. I do not feel as though it is warranted….

              8. So “either you give up your injury guarantee or you don’t play” is better than “we don’t want you anymore and don’t want to risk having to pay you next year so we will make you the #3 QB all year”?

                The first option at least gives Kaep the opportunity to play. The 2nd option, like what happened to RGIII, does not. Remember, it is Kaep’s decision to take the offer.

              9. I’ll ask you the same type of question, Scooter. If that was your son, would you have advised him to take the deal?

              10. How is that relevant, razor? The 49ers didn’t force him to take the deal. They offered him the chance to get out of his contract, which he wanted more than he wanted the injury guarantee.

                Not sure how my thoughts on whether he should have taken the deal are relevant, but if he found that more palatable than sticking with his current deal, my advice would have been to take the deal.

              11. Tells me how desperate he is to get out of the dumpster fire.

                They offered him the chance to get out of his contract.

                How nice of them, but didn’t they agree to the contract and what in the hell was he doing as the backup without that injury waiver?

              12. Razor, you clearly have a bee in your bonnet and its affecting your interpretation of what I am saying. I did not and have not suggested the 49ers have treated Kaep well by offering him this deal. All I said was this was better than giving him the RGIII treatment (which was what RAW suggested they should have done in counter to my point about how this deal shows the 49ers never had any real intention of risking the same thing happening again next year as happened this offseason).

                Arguing about how inept and two-faced the FO is is a one sided argument, because I am not disagreeing with you.

              13. Scooter, here is the other points you’re making that I disagree with. The 49ers do not want him. It’s not a secret. They’re not going to hurt his feelings by giving him the RG3 treatment. RG3 got another opportunity. It didn’t ruin his chances. Kaepernick is far more accomplished and has greater character than RG3. The only thing that would prevent him from another opportunity would be due to reports of him being hated by many NFL executives for his political views. You used the word “stupidity” to describe the situation that led to this. I won’t quibble with that, but I think the more appropriate word to describe the front office’s handling of this matter would be, incompetent. Stupidity suggests they have no intelligence, when we know that’s not the case….

              14. No, they won’t hurt his feelings by giving him the RGIII treatment. But he has shown by taking this deal that his preference is to waive the injury guarantee and play rather than be kept on the sidelines. They gave him that option, and this is what he chose. Yet you appear to be saying the 49ers shouldn’t have even given him that option, should have put him in protective wool all year, even though he himself considered that a worse fate?

                It was stupidity by both parties. And I don’t use that word to imply they are stupid people (smart people can do stupid things). You can use the word incompetent if you like for the FO. I won’t argue with that.

              15. Yet you appear to be saying the 49ers shouldn’t have even given him that option

                I don’t understand why they needed to. He was the backup and didn’t need it. What’s the difference?

            1. Seriously Razor?

              The injury guarantee is really a formality. Players are offered injury settlements all the time. Most contracts are guaranteed for injury. It only became an object of discussion because most QB’s get a ton of guaranteed money upfront when they sign their deals, and Colin only got $13 million guaranteed upfront, EXCEPT in the case of injury, with a cutoff date of April 1st, which was a very unique clause. And Colin happened to suffer what was in reality a short term injury, at the most inopportune time for the team, which resulted in his full 2017 salary being guaranteed.

              Colin could barely wait to sign on the dotted line Razor. Any clear headed person would see that as a sign that this is a deal that actually, at least in theory, benefits the player. How in the world do you see that as negative PR?

              It’s a strange way of thinking Razor, and bordering on Seb territory!

        2. I hope so for the team’s sake. But I have a sneaking suspicion that it wasn’t just Balke, it was the Yorks pressuring him to keep the payroll low. I don’t know if Gamble will do any better than Balke, since he was presumably involved in this years draft.

          I think as long as the Yorks are setting the budgets we are unlikely to get any “expensive” players

        3. Logically, yes. Baalke should be toast, should have been toast 2 years ago. But when have “York” and “Logic” ever been spoken of in the same breath?
          “York” and “Profit”? Now your on to something…………….

  4. This relationship between the 49ers and Old wind up is so toxic. Neither side wants to have anything to do with one another. This won’t end well and it cost us fans another season of turmoil.
    I’m even more astonished that Chip Kelly took this job without the leverage to go out and get some players, decent ones to fit his offense. Instead he accepted whatever Baalke gave him and now might cost him his ability to coach ever again in the NFL.
    It’s official! We are the new Raiders and Bunguls, Lambs of the NFL.

    1. Good coaches can adapt their system to the players they have. This system requires specific players or it won’t work….

      I

      1. We don’t have any good players. We have some talent along the oline and a few guys with potential, but overall it’s not a competive NFL roster.

        1. We have a power run blocking RT/RG, yet we’re zone blocking. We have receivers that can get downfield, yet it’s dink n dunk. We don’t have a 0 Tech, yet it’s a 3-4 defense. I will repeat, good coaches adapt. Bad, egotistical coaches do not….

        2. You’re kinda right Prime, but the oline play has been overrated imo.

          The best WR has always been no more than a #3/#4 guy, etc.

        3. This roster needs work, no question. However, I like the direction they are heading as long as they find a way to solve the QB position. Until they find their future, franchise type QB, it’s going to be a rough road ahead.

          The OL has been, by and large, a real bright spot this season. Run blocking has been shaky, but a lot of that is due to the way defenses are scheming against them. The OL had a poor game last week, but by and large their pass blocking grades have been some of the best in the league. I have all the confidence in the world that Garnett will develop into a quality starter a a road grading stallworth. T. Brown has all kinds of potential, and Staley has a few more good years left in him. Both Tiller and Killgore are solid, but unspectacular. OL is no longer a huge concern.

          AS for the DL, it’s hard to evaluate Armstead with his injury. He was absolutely killing it before the injury and It’s clearly having an effect on his ability to stack and shed. No question Buckner is a stud as well, so those are 2 future pro-bowl bookends, IMO, to build around. I like Dial a lot and If Glen Dorsey & Ian Williams come back healthy next season, that’s a solid group. Add a seasoned Ronald Blair to the mix, and you’re pretty well set up front, IMO.

          The 49ers clearly need another Pass rushing specialist at OLB. I like the way Carradine has progressed this season and we’ve seen what Lynch can do when he’s in shape. However, Brooks is a mess and Harold doesn’t seem to be developing, so the 49ers have a couple holes there at OLB.

          ILB is now another position of need. They needed Hodges to step up and, although Ray Ray was playing well before his injury, there is no telling what kind of player Bowman is going to be next year. I’m not holding up a lot of hope that he’s full go, without having lost another step next season. IMO the 49ers need to find at least one good starting ILB this offseason, and we’ll see about Hodges.

          I happen to think highly of our DB’s, with the exception of Bathia, who appears to be aging. However, the 49ers have both talent and depth all around in the defensive backfield and I feel good about that group as a whole.

          Special teams? They need a kick returning threat. I’ve given up hope for Ellington and although Kerley is dependable, it don’t really see him as a game-breaking threat, so they need some talent there.

          Carlos Hyde is a stud and Jeremy Kerley has been a great surprise, but when it comes to offensive playmakers at the WR position as a whole, this team is absolute devoid of talent. The cupboard is pretty bare at TE, with the exception of McDonald, when he’s healthy (which he’s had a hard time being) and absolutely horrific at WR. They will need to hit on WR in the draft, although they have a lot of money to spend to help shore up the WR group this offseason.

          And of course that brings us to QB. Code red, code blue. Whatever you call it it’s a red alert…..red alert…..red alert!

          Oh boy! Fingers crossed that they can get this figured out soon.

          1. Good post 49 but next year will be even worse then this year. Only because you are going to have a lot of young players at key positions.

    2. Prime, I thought it was, “Ole’ Wind Up”, lol.

      On a serious note, I can assure you the 49ers are going to spend money, lots and lots of it. Chip understood the plan was to spend his first season evaluating the roster, and figuring out what exactly they had, before they went out and spent a bunch of money. The league allows teams to “carry over” cap space fore exactly this reason.

      Given the circumstances Prime, I wouldn’t take the fact that the FO chose to carry money over as a sign that they don’t want to spend it. They do, and they will, they just want to do it wisely, once Chip has fully evaluated every position group, and they figure out exactly what they have and who they want to keep.

      I do however, hope Baalke isn’t one of the guys in charge of spending next offseason.

      1. Prime, the 49ers can’t just sit on their money, you realize how the leagues rules work, right? Even if they wanted to, the 49ers will be forced to spend most of the money they have left under salary cap space. Just so you are aware, even if the team didn’t spend a penny this coming offseason, they would be closer to the 2018 cap than teams like the Panthers and Pats.

        Jed doesn’t want to be the guy who team owners vue as a cheapskate. It would be bad for the 49ers and also bad for the league, if the 49ers were all about saving every last penny at the expense of winning. However, league rules don’t really allow that. The 49ers can only carry over cap space for a limited amount of time before they are forced to spend it. That’s a rule that is in place for exactly that reason, because NFL owners want every team to be competitive, as it makes for a better league.

        Like I said, look for the 49ers to spend a lot of money over the next 2 offseasons, as they are not only required to, but they will need to in order to build a contender. However, let’s hope they spend it with the goal of building a long term contender, and not just spend it because it’s there to spend!

  5. I just hope Baalke is finally gone after this season (but I don’t think he is) and the 49ers improve their Wide Reciever corps (will be picking too low to get one of the top Quarterbacks)

    1. Have I been embarrassed by the play of this team in the 37 years that I’ve been a fan? Sure have, but this is the first time I can honestly say that I’ve ever been ashamed. I’m ashamed at how this franchise operates and it begins and ends with Jed York….

      1. Razor,
        Agreed.
        But do we need a George Steinbrenner type owner that was known for his toughness and media overexposure or a Rooney type that keeps the Steelers relevant year after year without oversaturating himself in the media?

        I wish that we could find another Eddie D, but those guys don’t come around very often and the game with salary caps and strong union has changed since the glory days of Eddie D.
        Jed is a business man that is wrapped up with the bottom line. Once the dollars stop rolling in due to a poor product he will make a change.
        I saw a lot of empty seats last Thursday night. Nothing speaks louder of a bad product than empty seats.

      2. +1000

        This franchise stinks because of the Yorks. Say all you want about Baalke, but he gets his marching orders from above. You don’t think he would go after FAs if he had free reign? Something is holding him back. Wonder if Tim K. has any clue why…

  6. The 49ers used the only leverage they had – play or sit. Kaep was going to be a free agent at the end of the year either way. If he didn’t get to play this year, if he didn’t get to show case his talents, aside from taking a great knee, what would he be worth in free agency? Probably half of what he is getting right now, if that much. This was a win/win for both sides. Kaep gets a chance to increase his value in free agency and the 49ers get rid of the risk of being on the hook if he gets hurt.

    1. If they didn’t want to honor their contract, they shouldn’t have signed it. He should have told them, vaffanculo!

      1. Razor,

        I would love it if the Yorks sold the team, but I don’t get how asking CK to renegotiate his contract stands out as such a bad thing. They probably asked him to waive the injury guarantee language, in exchange for the ability for CK to void out his contract after the year. If he didn’t want to do that, then he could’ve just said no.

        Instead, he said yes. I don’t really see why this, in particular, is such a big deal.

        I would kill for the 49ers to have an owner like Joe Lacob, and have no love for the Yorks, but all then rancor over this seems out of place, IMO.

        1. Ex (I think you’re Ex):

          Agree with what you say. Given the situation as it is currently, this seems more like a win win for both sides. The point Razor brings up regarding how this might affect future FA signings is interesting. I don’t know if it will or won’t. You always here players saying it’s a business and they have agents to represent them so ……..

          1. Cubus,

            Yes, I am exgolfer.

            I’m sure in some cases the way the team is seen will affect FA’s signing with the 49ers, but mostly, it’s about the money.

            I would think most players (potential FA’s) would see CK’s renegotiating his contract as his business and nothing more.

    2. He doesn’t have to run if doesn’t want to. But he will cuz that’s his talent. He wants to play somewhere next year and getting on the field now is the only way that’s going to happen. You all do remember how bad he was the last several times anyone saw him play, right?

  7. From Nick Wagoner,

    “One quick tidbit on QB Colin Kaepernick’s revamped deal: Because the 49ers altered the contract this season and Kaepernick has the option to void sooner than the original deal, the team is not eligible to receive a compensatory draft pick for him if he opts out and signs elsewhere after the season.”

  8. It’s a win, win for Kap.
    He get’s to play.
    a. Kap’ best prospects for shinning is in Kelly’ system.
    b. Kap has a chance to revive his career.

    He get’s the opportunity to show his wares for the 49ers or other possible interested teams for 2017.
    a. If Kap can seize the QB position and leave no doubt – his options become almost limitless.
    b. If Kap and Kelly can mesh and give this team a big spark they may have a voice going forward in determining Baalke’ future – which translates to no future with the 49ers org.

    Of course if Kap fails, all the above becomes a moot point.

    1. AES do we even know what Kelly’s system is? We know it involves the QB running, Gabbert and CK we know do that well. It also requires the QB to be accurate and make good decisions and throw people open. Now we know Gabbert never did that and history has shown the other guy was never good at any of those skills.

      I’ve shifted my outrage from Baalke to Kelly for thinking he could make 2 guys who are terrible, functional in his offense that requires those traits.
      He should have never accepted the job without full control of getting a QB he knew he could work with or develop.

      1. How did Kelly’s system work when he got rid of his All Pro Guard, his All Pro Receiver, and his All Pro Running Back?

      2. Prime/Razor
        Kelly’ system runs more efficiently when he has speed at virtually every position on offense ala the glory days at Oregon.

        I’ll never forget Kelly’ Oregon teams running rampant over Jim Harbaugh’ Stanford power teams. Harbaugh even commented after a loss to Oregon that the Ducks were just too fast.
        So when I think of the Kelly system I associate it with speed.

        I don’t put the blame on Kelly because he does not have the talent on offense to give his scheme a chance to succeed.
        Another issue is that when we have had WR’s get open for a possible long TD pass we have not had the QB accuracy to get them the ball.
        We have sadly witnessed this in almost every game so far.

        Will Kap change the outcome of games going forward? Probably not. But my point is that he now has the opportunity to make a good case for himself.

        Also, do any of us know if Kelly had any input in drafting high on a QB?
        Baalke is stuck on defense. And my take based on that theory is that Baalke wanted to go defense (Buckner) and left the late QB leftovers to Kelly on day two of the draft.
        I don’t blame Chip for the hand dealt him by Baalke.

        Now, if we are in the same ugly hole after year two or three of the Kelly era especially after he is given autonomy to pick his own players, then I will be the first to call for his dismissal.

        1. Bulky has had 6 yrs to load this team up with talent, on both sides of the line. From his ACL projects that are non-productive to his in-ability to identify offensive talent, Bulky himself is an absolute bust-worst GM in the NFL.
          But he keeps costs down, so he may be here forever. The Yorks are interested in profits, not product.

      3. How many other opportunities did Kelly have? I see a lot of guys saying he shouldn’t have taken the job unless X, or Y, or Z, but after the dumpster fire he left in Philly, I don’t know that anyone else offered him a shot. So for him, I guess it was either back to the college ranks, or the Niners.

        1. Rusty,
          Philly turned sour for Kelly before his firing, but he also showed that he could take QB’s like Foles and Sanchez and make them serviceable.

          I wasn’t a big supporter of the Kelly hire, but I am interested in seeing what he can do once he acquires the type of players that fit his system – and I believe that it will take at least two more drafts to see a big difference and improvement.

          Rusty, to your comment, Yes, Kelly’ resume in Philly may be highlighted with some flawed events, but in a way, I see him in somewhat the same position as Kap – he has a second chance to revive his career.
          Time will tell.

  9. “There’s no pressure to get a deal done.”

    Deal done the next day.

    “The contract isn’t what’s prevented Kaepernick from playing.”

    Team restructures contract immediately after deciding to start him.

    Yet the media and many others will still take what they say to heart each time.

    Fool me once…

  10. “Which side came out on top, Kaepernick or the 49ers?”

    I don’t care who’s on top of who in regards to the front office and Kaepernick what I do know is that in the scale of wins and loses the only side that is losing in this deal are the fans.

    1. Kaepernick gets hurt, it’s a loss and the 49ers get what they want. No F/A’s that are worth a sh!t. You can forget about getting guys like Jamie Collins or Jeffery….

      1. Razor,

        If the 49ers break out the check book, I would think Collins or Jeffrey would come. Some players may not, but most would, if paid enough.

        1. MWN,

          I want to see new onewership.

          The Yorks…another example that wealth does not equate competency.

          Nothing changes as long as they own this team.

          1. “…I want to see new ownership….”

            Yeah .. I do.. too .. but there are
            two chances of .. that
            happening .. anytime soon …

            Slim .. and .. none

  11. Rashard Robinson is on fire:

    “Forget rookies—out of all of the cornerbacks in the NFL, no one has given up fewer yards per coverage snap than Rashard Robinson (0.33). In 94 snaps, he’s been targeted nine times and allowed a grand total of 31 yards on four receptions. Those numbers are out of this world for a first-year DB. He finally moved into a starting role the past two weeks, and has shown no signs of slowing down.”

    http://www.ninersnation.com/2016/10/12/13260242/pff-rookie-rankings-rashard-robinson-49ers

    1. For a long time people have been complaining about how the secondary was no good and how important it was to invest in a #1 CB over the front 7. The 49ers invested and are finally starting to get some decent play from the secondary, but it is all being undone by terrible front 7 play. The D was a lot more competitive with a really good front 7 and suspect secondary. Just saying.

        1. Pass rush is only a part of the problem. More concerning is the run D, which isn’t the stronger part of Marcus Rush’s game.

          I’m not as big on Rush as some – his pre season stats looked great but he was going up against scrubs. But, if the current guys aren’t getting it done, sometimes it is worth giving someone like Rush a chance just to see what he can do at this level.

          49ers will need to invest in the front 7 this off season.

          1. “49ers will need to invest in the front 7 this off season.”

            That’s pathetic considering the 1st round pick the last two years was spent to help this area.

            1. To be fair the areas of the front 7 that need to be addressed the most (pass rushers and ILB’s), Baalke has not put many resources into, and especially not prime picks to get top talent. He really has drafted more for a 4-3 with some of the picks he’s made the past 3 years.

      1. “For a long time people have been complaining about how the secondary was no good and how important it was to invest in a #1 CB over the front 7. The D was a lot more competitive with a really good front 7 and suspect secondary. Just saying.”

        To begin with, that’s no reason to not ask for a better secondary and second the front 7 have dropped off quite significantly. Plus you have 7 players up front and 4 in the back, it makes more sense that a more dominant defense has a stronger front 7 then it does a back 4.

        Still no reason to not want an upgrade in the DB’s though. Imagine if we still had 1/2 of that front 7 with the CB’s the team has now. We wouldn’t be losing by 28.5 points a game that’s for sure.

        1. No excuse either for having such a drop off in the front 7 when you consider that since 2012 we’ve used 6 picks in the top 3 rounds on either DL or LB.

          1. I agree, there is no excuse for the drop off given the picks they have invested in the front 7. That wasn’t my point.

        2. There is a difference between asking for a better secondary and saying investing in the secondary is more important than investing in the front 7. Which a lot of people have done in the past.

          1. “saying investing in the secondary is more important than investing in the front 7. Which a lot of people have done in the past.”

            Those sound like the same people I probably don’t respond to anymore.

          1. Sure but we’d have what I feel is a superior player on the roster. Part of the problem is that the picks Baalke has invested in the front 7 and the defense in general haven’t worked out. I’m not saying Armstead won’t, but if for example he had taken Peters, we likely don’t see 3 more picks being used this year on the position do we? It’s all part and parcel to how Baalke’s draft strategy hasn’t made any sense.

            1. The problem as you point out is definitely that the picks Baalke has made haven’t made the impact hoped. No question. But that wasn’t what I was getting at. I’m just saying that it is my belief getting the front 7 right is more important than having an excellent secondary, and the past five seasons are a good example of why.

              1. I see what you’re saying and I agree for the most part. Pass rush and run stopping ability are critical for sure, and our current front 7 depth chart does neither very well.

    2. All you idiots (SEB) who clowned me about Rashard Robinson can go suckle a pig!!! (AHS)

      Kap won. This was the worst player contract in history. Now he’s out of it. Good for him.

  12. what if this restructure is cause there is a trade coming. If no trade coming I am curious how long, short is kaps hook

  13. Additional details on the contract:

    “Ian Rapoport confirmed the roster bonuses have become base salary. Additionally, he is reporting there is a bonus triggered at 50 percent playing time. If he starts most of the remaining 11 games, he would trigger that bonus.

    Where this gets interesting is ESPN reporting the 49ers will NOT be allowed to use their franchise tag on Kaepernick if the quarterback elects to become a free agent after the season. Given the state of the relationship between Kaepernick and the 49ers front office, that would seem to significantly increase the odds he leaves after this season. Of course, if he and Chip Kelly can turn things around for this offense in the coming weeks, maybe he decides to stay. If he has a strong season, he’ll almost assuredly decline the option and become a free agent. He might return, he might not. We’ll see what these final 11 weeks bring.

    ESPN also said the two sides “have spent months” working on some kind of fix to the contract. Schefter is reporting it dates back to the 49ers trade conversations with the Broncos.”

    http://www.ninersnation.com/2016/10/12/13262902/colin-kaepernick-contract-restructure-player-option-franchise-tag

    1. “the two sides “have spent months” working on some kind of fix to the contract.”

      No surprise. And also not surprising the deal gets finalised just as he is about to start. If Kelly had decided Kaep would be starting from week 1 I have no doubt this deal would have been done earlier.

      1. Agree

        The timing of everything shows they were worried about PR.

        There was no reason at all to make the announcement to the media when Kelly did. It’s actually a bad move strategically, but they wanted to get out in front of the questions.

      2. If Kelly had decided Kaep would be starting from week 1 I have no doubt this deal would have been done earlier

        Hey, you guys think if Roger Gabbert had gone down injured, the 49ers would have taken a Timeout and got that deal done?

              1. OK, to be clear; the panic on this blog site and the panic in the fandom (of an irrevocably phuqued season) energized the team, but did so waayyyy too late.

        1. So razor, you really don’t think the timing of this deal has anything to do with Kaep being named starter?

          1. Why do they need a deal when he’s been a heartbeat away from playing the whole time? Is the injury guarantee only valid for being named the starter?

            1. I think so long as he was the backup they were willing to risk it. Chances of having both QBs injured in one game aren’t that high, though no doubt they would have been sweating bullets.

              1. That’s my point, putting the team in a situation where they could be sweating bullets is grounds for being sacked. Not to mention it’s not a good look. You’re covered as the back up, but now we need you to start so you’re no longer covered. Yikes!

              2. Having an inept FO really sucks and makes it hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

  14. For those suggesting this deal is a sign of Kelly getting more power, have a think about who the biggest loser in this deal is. Kaep doesn’t want the 49ers, and he now has control over his contract status beyond this season. He wins. The 49ers FO don’t want Kaep and they can now get rid of him next year with no financial loss if he gets injured. They win.

    Kelly gets a QB he reportedly tried to trade for in 2015, but even if he plays well there is a good chance he won’t get to keep him beyond this season anymore. He’s the big loser out of this, because he’s the one that most believe wanted Kaep to be retained this year in the first place. He now has to hope if Kaep plays well that he is able to convince him to stick around for another year, even though Kaep clearly wants out.

    1. I just see this as another nail in the coffin of Baalke. If Kaep does well, no way will he sign if Baalke is GM. If he cannot do enough to win games, he will be gone because other teams will covet him. Baalke will be blamed for not providing enough support.

      No matter what, Jed will be brain dead if he allows Baalke to run another draft.

      Kelly is going no where, so he will do just fine, no matter how it turns out.

      1. “Kelly is going no where, so he will do just fine, no matter how it turns out.”

        That wasn’t my point.

        1. You were pointing out that Chip was the loser in this deal. I think he will resurrect Kaep and convince him to stay once Baalke is gone.

          That is my point.

            1. Because it is the Niners, and they will figure out a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory…..

      2. Jed is only brain dead if we assume he cares about winning. I think this is standard York operation, milk money screw the fans and winning championships.

        1. Hawki-

          Absolute truth, what you just said. To assume what York might do, you have to think like York-show some empathy.
          Using his past behavior as a template, this IS ‘standard York operation, milk money, screw the fans and winning championships”.
          But like all greed-heads, he is well on his way to killing the golden goose.

    2. According to several insider reports, Kelly/Baalke now believe Ponder is the best out of the three and he’s convinced he can resurrect him. That suggests Kelly doesn’t want Kaepernick either, and like Baalke and most on here, believe he will fail and they can move on to Ponder. What makes no sense is why not just start Ponder?

      1. If true, it is a very good question. An even better question is if Kelly prefers Ponder, why hasn’t he been getting the backup QB reps and been the backup on game day? Which I think tells you everything you need to know about the validity of reports suggesting Kelly prefers Ponder over Kaep.

        1. Wouldn’t Ponder begin getting the reps if Colin had chosen door number RG3, as the backup to Gabbert?

        2. Like RAW I haven’t seen these reports either. However, if they are true, then the only thing that makes sense to me is that they are trying to pump up Kap’s trade value. Isn’t there a November deadline coming up?

            1. Just to play with that trade concept, who would trade for Colin? I’m having trouble imagining.
              If he plays well here the next 3 weeks, do they still trade him and go back to Gabby? That would be scuttling the season and the locker room would resent it.
              If he doesn’t play well I’d suspect any parties still interested would just wait to pick him up for free (no trade) in March.

              1. Considering they would only have him for the year, I doubt any team makes a deal unless an injury occurs….

              2. Well, my possible scenario may now not be so far fetched.

                I still want Kaep to lead the Niners for years, but it looks like he wants to flee this clown show.

                I wish him well.

              3. I highly doubt any of this was done with a trade in mind. Doesn’t make any sense quite frankly. The contract restructure makes him even less attractive than before because the team trading for him would only have him for the rest of the season and have to teach him a whole new offense. If he does play well – not likely I know but have to throw it in for the purposes of this scenario – then the team would stage a mutiny if he were traded and scuttled their season.

                To me this just seems like Kelly had seen enough of Gabbert, decided he wanted to play Kap, and that forced the parties involved to finalize a restructure that had been in the works for some time. Both sides get out of a spot they weren’t happy with and it moves the chairs around on the Titanic for a week.

              4. I don’t think that trading for a player prevents the new team from trying to change the player’s contract. So a team trying to trade for Kap could add years on to his current contract if that is what Kap wanted, couldn’t they?

                It seems like the contract restructuring showed other teams that Kap is willing to restructure in order to get out of SF and make his contract more palatable. Another team could take a bite, but protect themselves by not giving up to much guaranteed money. Kap has shown a willingness to bet on himself.

              5. Cubus,

                If the Niners had an offer for Kap, all they have to do is give permission to the team trading for him to negotiate a deal with him. They wouldn’t go through all of this on their own just to turn around and trade him imo. This is just a straight up restructure to give him the freedom to walk away after the season in return for waving the injury clause from the contract.

              6. Rocket:

                “If the Niners had an offer for Kap….”

                Sometimes you have to kickstart that process. Just as with real estate, if a property is way overvalued, you might not get any initial interest until the price is reduced.

      2. I have seen ZERO reports of Chip preferring Ponder over Kaep.. These leaks are coming from Balke…

        1. The same sources that said Kaepernick did not study, acted stuck up and lost the locker room….

    3. If Baalke is fired, that could completely change Kap’s outlook. However, it’s possible that Kap mostly blames Paraag and not so much Baalke. Who sticks around and who is moved on at the end of the season will tell us a lot about how the power has shifted.

    4. Scooter,

      Good point and another example of how strange this situation has become. Did Kelly accept the job knowing he would not be able to play somebody the GM didn’t want him to, or is this a case of finding out after the fact, and finally standing up and demanding he be able to play who he wants? Was it a case of Kelly believing Gabbert was the best QB in the first place and just now realizing he isn’t capable? Does anyone truly believe that the contract restructure being done right after Kap was named the starter is a coincidence?

      So many questions and so much drama. I’m getting a headache.

  15. If Kaep plays well and the Niners want to retain him he will come back. 1. Balke will get fired either way. 2. Why go to another team and compete in a system that might not fit him. 3. If Kaep and Chip have a mutal respect he will come back. This system fits his skill set. 4. This is irrelevant if Kaep does not win games…. A tough task he has ahead with this team.

  16. The organization and Kaepernick win while the fan base loses because they are forced to watch an unacceptable product that was once a proud franchise.

    1. Well… MidWest …

      I’m not optimistic .. this .. “once proud franchise”
      will get past an 8-8 season… as long
      as the dumb and dumber .. Dr. and Mrs. York
      keep their greedy little offspring … sittin’ on his
      golden throne …

      None of the above … have a clue about how to
      present the fans .. with anything resembling
      a decent product on the field … so-o-o ..

      Let’s … let the banners fly !!

  17. https://twitter.com/ChristianCaple/status/786286971970723840/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

    Huskies head coach Chris Petersen did not like the finger point and decided to punish his quarterback for it. The punishment was 500 push-ups. The incredible part is that Browning’s teammates offered to do some to chip in and help out Browning, though the coaches wouldn’t allow it to count towards the quarterback’s total.

    I really like Browning and think if we miss out on Kizer, he could be my target in round one, 2018….

      1. Agree. Firing him now does nothing but give the masses their pound of flesh. It’s too late to do anything about the roster this season and doesn’t look good to potential candidates either. No choice but to let the season play out and then start the process of finding the next GM.

        1. At first I though that firing Baalke now would be little more than a PR move. But couldn’t there possibly be some impact on scouting of college athletes? Gamble might immediately give some of the scouts their pink slips. Isn’t the personnel department currently scouting college football players?

          I don’t know whether it would be better or worse (hopefully, better), but I could see some impact in this area by making a change at GM.

          1. Agree with you there, cubus…

            It would not do much, if anything, for the team this year. But it would start to purge the organization of baalke’s poison….his influence on player selection, on talent evaluation, on his indifference of the QB and other offensive skill positions. In effect, we can start navigating the Titanic from 1912 football on into the 21st century.
            But then we still have the York poison…………………………….

      2. Unfortunately true for the most part. With few moves to be made for this season all the damage he can do has been done. It would be strictly for the sake of “looking like he’s doing something” for Jed to fire Baalke before February.

        What’ll be the over/under on how many days past the final game before the announcement of Baalke’s “mutual parting” and Gambles promotion to the still warm seat.

        1. I suppose we’ll have to wait through the fake search and interview process and the obligatory Rooney rule candidate so I guess the promotion will have to wait a week or so.

          1. Yep. We already know it’ll be Gamble, but they’ll do a couple of obligatory interviews with candidates who will then take themselves out of consideration. That’s just the way Jed operates.

      3. Hammer,
        I would fire him in an instant. He serves no purpose in his current position. I believe that he has become incompetent in perhaps the most crucial area of his job – the draft.

        The longer Baalke sticks around the longer his drafting philosophy will bleed into next season. I assume that the 49ers regional college scouts are following Baalke’ theory on the type of players he wants and that is a sobering thought based on TB’ last few drafts.

        Jeb will keep Trent around until the end of the season (unless the 49ers begin a miracle season starting this Sunday, likely NOT!). But I would love for Jed to remove all drafting and scouting responsibilities from Baalke ASAP!

    1. Hard to give credit to the people that are just now realizing that Baalke needs to go.

  18. To have a highly motivated Kap is great for the team. If he does well, he gets to pick his team at the end of the year. This guy believes in himself and that is how he wanted the last contract and people said it was a bum-contract. Somebody smarter than him put the injury-clause in it. I wonder if there’s a another trump card in this contract besides the no-comp pick.

  19. Kurt Warner:

    There’s more to the NFL than running the football. Kap has to learn how to read defenses???

    He struggled because the 49ers asked him to be a drop back QB

  20. If we listen to Seb’s analysis, apparently “a Kap storm’s a comin”

    However, The only storms have been the storm of Seb postings false Kap warnings.

    49er fans are intelligent enough to believe Warner–Kap went to his QB School–not Seb’s QB’s school.

    So yell from the rooftops, eventually that storm U predict will swoosh you and your screeds away.

  21. Fan’s, there is a storm coming. Not a Kap storm, however can U imagine an under practiced Kap….Could there be a more frightening scenario when his storm of interceptions and off target read throws begin…..Thanks, Yorks.

    Happy Halloween to you too !

    buffalo weather:

    Sun

    Scattered Showers

    71°

    58°

    Steve Marriucci: “Kap’s had 3 surgeries, his strength and weight are down, and he hasn’t practiced much– missing OTA’s and most of summer camp.”

    http://ninerfans.com/watch-nfl-network-analyst-steve-mariucci-theyre-gonna-try-kaepernick-with-their-fingers-crossed/

  22. Would like a reporter to ask Kelly why he’s not running his up-tempo offense? Did he feel the system was flawed or does the team not have the right players to run it.

    It’s not support for the up-tempo offense I just want to hear how he answers the question.

    1. Thanks for posting this. Vindicates my gut feeling that the Roman firing was good, even though many noted that it was the Bills’ defense that was performing poorly.

    2. I’d give Trestman another opportunity next season as our QB coach. He was a victim of Cutler and a bad GM in Chicago and is now the scapegoat for an offense that is low on talent and has always been average at best relying on low turnovers and great defense to win games.

  23. Dear Dr. York,

    Enjoy the 49ers/Bills game Sunday. Did I wish you Happy Halloween yet ?…Not to worry…

    When your Niners fail to cross the goal line against a Buffalo defense that shut out the New England Patriots your scares are just starting.

    Next you’ll have a fun filled emotional roller coaster ride when You witness Tyrod Taylor shred Oneil’s defense vs. our O ‘s scary output…Yes, zero can be a scary number, York’s.

    But we’ve lived with your zeros for years, as in zero fun, zero impact players, zero OL, Zero DL, Zero Db’s, zero Special teams and zero stats—yes, remember that Hosler offense of yester year that went an entire game putting up – 2yards…I do.

    Thank you again York’s….Did I say zero on O. Oh, it was worse at -2….Who does that York’s, or haven’t you hear, it’s a passing league now.

  24. Dear York’s : A John Taylor Highlight .

    Will you ever provide the fans with excitement ?…Here’s an idea. A Bill Walsh player who was not good enough to be Walsh’s go to WR….Why, because Jerry Rice was lined up opposite of John Taylor

    Oh, York’s, he also was our special teams ace. Ever heard of Special Teams, because they certainly our unspecial under you….That’s when I run to the store for groceries.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9f80QBV6tE

Comments are closed.