During the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft on Thursday, the Denver Broncos moved up from the last spot to the 26th in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks. With the selection, Denver picked Memphis QB Paxton Lynch, essentially killing any rumors that the team might look to trade for San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick.
Last month, Denver added QB Mark Sanchez to their roster via a trade with Philadelphia. Once trade talks with the 49ers and Kaepernick became "dormant," the Broncos were linked as a team possibly interested in Eagles QB Sam Bradford. Bradford had requested a trade from Philadelphia following the Eagles' move up to the second overall selection – a pick they used to acquire North Dakota State QB Carson Palmer.
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The trade for Kaepernick was initially stalled by a difference in opinion regarding the compensation the 49ers should receive for the quarterback. The deal had stalled after March 10, the day following the start of the new league year, because Denver felt that there was a possibility that San Francisco might release Kaepernick to avoid his guaranteed salary. The 49ers regularly stated that they were willing to keep Kaepernick on the roster if they did not receive a solid offer and even stated at one point that they would need to be "blown away" by an offer.
Trade compensation then became less of a hold up and Kaepernick's salary became the major issue to overcome. Talks heated back up when Broncos general manager John Elway met with Kaepernick on March 31, the eve of the deadline that guaranteed the quarterback's 2016 salary. It was reportedly the second time the two met, this time at Elway's home in the Denver area. Kaepernick reportedly refused to take a nearly $7 million pay cut while the 49ers were understandably uninterested in paying $4.9 million of his salary to help fit him under Denver's salary cap. Unable to come to an agreement on the quarterback's salary, discussions ceased once again.
In November, Kaepernick was placed on injured reserve due to a shoulder injury. He is recovering from multiple surgeries. While none are expected to cause long-term issues, he has had surgeries on his left shoulder, thumb, and knee since being placed on injured reserve. He had been recovering from his surgeries at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado.
Kaepernick has been taking part in the 49ers' offseason activities, but has been limited physically and unable to throw due to his recovery.
Since being drafted out of Nevada by the 49ers in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft, Kaepernick has led San Francisco to two NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl.
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