Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News is reporting San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick wants out of San Fran, and wants to join the New York Jets organization.
Sources: 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick wants out of San Fran… and in with Jets. #nyj Story: https://t.co/JXR5KBFHCK pic.twitter.com/EOD2DyMYMv
— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaSports) February 2, 2016
The only issue is that a lot of dominoes would need to fall at the right time for this move to take place.
Kaepernick still has five years left on his $114 million extension. The 49ers can cut or trade him before April 1st when his $11.9 million is set to become guaranteed, a move which would allow them to save the club $8.5 million of cap space.
The 49ers may be wise to keep the 28-year-old, and see what he can do in new head coach Chip Kelly’s system. Kaepernick had an atrocious 2015 season, with six touchdowns and five interceptions in nine games, and eventually lost his starting job to Blane Gabbert before going down with a season-ending injury. It seemed like a foregone conclusion he’d be cut, but owner Jed York has denied the rumors.
The Jets interest would be odd. New York went 10-6 with Ryan Fitzpatrick under the helm, and he had an impressive season throwing 31 touchdowns with 15 interceptions – way better than anybody expected. Fitzpatrick is a free agent, but the team has made many indications they want to re-sign him. The 33-year-old isn’t the long term solution at QB, but he’s clearly a big part of what the Jets are trying to do now. The only way Kaepernick to the Jets makes sense is if the 49ers cut him and the team misses out on Fitzpatrick, as it would be surprising if the Jets gave up a draft pick in a trade. Even if they opted for Kaepernick over Fitzpatrick, it’s unclear whether he’s an upgrade.
So I’d take these reports with a giant grain of salt. Until the 49ers figure out what they want to do with Kaepernick, it’s unclear how this situation will play out.
