Podcast: 49ers & NFC West Free Agency Updates →
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports


49ers and Colin Kaepernick agree to restructured contract

Oct 12, 2016 at 2:54 PM--


According to Adam Caplan and Adam Schefter of ESPN, the San Francisco 49ers and quarterback Colin Kaepernick have agreed to a new restructured deal that alleviates some of the 2017 guarantees within the quarterback's old contract. It is a deal that makes things easier on the 49ers should Kaepernick suffer an injury and eliminates the three years on the tail end of the old contract. Kaepernick signed the contract today.

The new contract, which Caplan and Schefter report as a new two-year deal, also reportedly allows Kaepernick to void 2017, making him a free agent following this season and at the start of the new league year in March. On Monday, Tom Pelissero of USA TODAY reported that the new contract is expected to add $1 million in playtime incentives this season and that Kaepernick's $125,000 per game roster bonus is expected to convert to guaranteed salary.

On Tuesday, 49ers head coach Chip Kelly named Kaepernick as the team's starter at quarterback for Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills in New York. "Excited about it," Kaepernick said following the announcement. "Ready to go. Hope I can bring more to this team and try to get us a win this Sunday."



Kaepernick said he is 100-percent and feels ready to go physically. "My biggest thing is trying to focus on strength and making sure I'm physically ready to play," he said. "Whether that means my weight's higher or lower, I don't think that's a huge deal."

In June of 2014, Kaepernick and the 49ers agreed to a six-year, $114 million extension that would have kept the quarterback under contract with the team through the 2020 season. However, under the old contract, a serious injury would have triggered a $14.5 million guarantee of his 2017 salary. That's a lot of money to risk on a player that might not be your quarterback of the future.

RELATED Torrey Smith: No one works harder or believes in himself more than Kaepernick

Kelly has insisted that the quarterback's contract has had nothing to do with his lack of playing time. "I played him in the first game," Kelly answered. "So, that kind of answers that question." He certainly did. For a grand total of three snaps. None were passes and all were at the end of the game with the outcome already decided.

While he may not have hit everyone's idea of his ideal weight, his arm strength is reportedly back to normal. "He's just zipping the ball," one source said.

On Monday, Kelly did discuss the speculation that Kaepernick has not played due to his weight. "There's no weight limit that he has to get to whether he plays or doesn't play," Kelly said on KNBR 680. "But the point was is where is he in his rehabilitation? And I answered that question and then people ran with it and said, 'Well, if he doesn't weight 225, he's not going to play.' This isn't pop warner. There is no weight limit in terms of him playing."


Kaepernick has insisted that he is ready to play. "I'm always ready to step on that field and looking forward to that opportunity," he said following the 49ers' loss to the Seattle Seahawks last month.

Over his career, Kaepernick has passed for 10,030 yards, 56 touchdowns, and 26 interceptions. He was drafted by the 49ers in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft and took over at quarterback during the 2012 season following an injury to then-starter Alex Smith.

Meanwhile, Gabbert's 2016 season was nothing short of disastrous. Entering Thursday's game against the Arizona Cardinals, he was ranked as the 33rd best quarterback in the NFL ... out of 34 graded quarterbacks. Against the Cardinals, Gabbert had a passer rating of 56.1, which is the second time this season that it has dipped below 60. Against the blitz, his passer rating fell to a pitiful 12.0, which includes his two interceptions of the night.

Related News





LISTEN

Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News



Assessing the 49ers roster and needs after one week of free agency

By Kirk Larrabee
Mar 17

The first wave of free agency has come and gone, and the 49ers have had to say goodbye to a number of familiar faces while welcoming a few new ones. There's been a good amount of shuffling over the past week, but one thing remains clear -- the 49ers still have one of the best rosters in the NFL. There's still more players to be added in the weeks ahead, both in the draft and in free agency. The 49ers still need depth and competition in a few areas, and maybe a new starter in a key spot on special teams. But with the way things look now, the 49ers could be looking at a fairly complete roster with very few weaknesses once they're done with their offseason moves. Here's a look at where things stand by position as of March 17, along with some thoughts on where the



6 biggest 49ers draft mistakes of the Shanahan and Lynch era

By Rohan Chakravarthi
Mar 21

The San Francisco 49ers have been known as a team that has built throughout the draft in the Kyle Shanahan era, which has led to seasoned success throughout the head coach's tenure, with the organization reaching the NFC Championship Game three times over the past four seasons. However, among the several draft hits that have propelled their roster to one of the league's best, there have been several mistakes that set the organization back at the time. With the NFL Draft approaching next month, and the 49ers having another integral draft for their future success, let's revisit the five biggest draft mistakes of the Shanahan-Lynch era thus far. Honorable Mention: Trey Lance It feels absolutely unfair to place Trey Lance on this list at



Podcast: 49ers free agency 2023: Best and worst signings so far

By Rohan Chakravarthi
Mar 24

Rohan Chakravarthi and Jack Hammer discuss the 49ers free agent moves, grading the signings like Javon Hargrave thus far. The audio for the show is embedded above, while the video is available below. You can listen to "The Rohan Chakravarthi Show" from our



Podcast: 49ers with Grant Cohn: Are the 49ers the favorites in the NFC with Trey Lance?

By Rohan Chakravarthi
Mar 24

Rohan Chakravarthi and Grant Cohn discuss whether the 49ers are favorites in the NFC after free agency. The audio for the show is embedded above, while the video is available below. ?feature=share You can listen to "The Rohan Chakravarthi Show" from our


Featured

Trending News

Share 49ersWebzone