San Francisco 49ers: Why Colin Kaepernick Won't Opt Out of His Contract in 2017
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick can opt out of his current contract and become a free agent this offseason. Niner Noise looks at why he won’t take this route.
Why would San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick even want to opt out of his contract this offseason?
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Well, there are a few reasons. But we’ll get to those in a moment.
For a refresher, Kap’s reworked contract allows him an out after the 2016 season. He’s technically signed through 2017 with a total cap hit of $19.37 million next year, per Over the Cap. But the opt-out clause after this year would make him a free agent able to test the market.
Some, like NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, stated this would indeed be the case. Although the Niners quarterback later refuted this, via Kevin Lynch of SFGate.com, saying he would make such a decision at the end of the season.
Nevertheless, it seems as if the writing is on the wall — Kap wants out of San Francisco, right?
Well, not so fast.
True, the last few years have been a nightmare for Kaepernick. Feuds with general manager Trent Baalke, media leaks and much more have stained any relationship the quarterback has with the front office.
But a test of the free-agent market isn’t necessarily going to be an easy choice either.
Market Value for Colin Kaepernick
Like it or not, money talks in the NFL. And Kap is guaranteed $14.5 million of that in 2017.
If Kaepernick were still playing as he did back in 2012 or 2013, other teams would easily be interested. But Kap is nowhere close to that level anymore. We could break down the stats, but anyone who’s watched 49ers football with any sort of regularity would already know.
Oct 16, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander (57) knocks the ball away from San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) and causes a fumble during the second half at New Era Field. Buffalo beat San Francisco 45-16. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
At best, Kaepernick is a backup QB with either an established starter or up-and-coming prospect under center. And backup quarterbacks simply don’t make anywhere close to that kind of money.
Take fellow 49ers QB Blaine Gabbert’s $4 million contract. Maybe Kap is good enough to command a slightly better pay rate, let’s say around $5 million. But do the math. It’s quite a lot of money to be left on the table.
Oct 6, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) kneels during the national anthem before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Social Protests, Distractions and GMs Around the League
Equally a factor in the Kaepernick free-agency discussion is his handling of social issues and subsequent protests during the national anthem.
Whether you agree or disagree with his means is irrelevant here. His value on the open market is only going to be as high as any other NFL executive would be willing to pay him, if such an executive would even want Kap on the team.
Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman spoke to a number of executives around the league earlier this season. Their comments tell you how Kaepernick is widely viewed by many high-level decision-makers.
“I don’t want him anywhere near my team,” one front office executive said, via Freeman. “He’s a traitor.”
Another said, “He has no respect for our country. F–k that guy.”
The 49ers have largely supported Kaepernick’s agenda, even pledging financial support to some of the charitable organizations with which Kap is involved.
It’s highly unlikely Kaepernick would find any other allies out there, even if he has disagreements with the Niners front office.
Why Kaepernick Does Leave the 49ers
So it might be in Kaepernick’s best interests to stick around with San Francisco into 2017, at least financially.
But that doesn’t exactly mean he’ll want to either.
My father-in-law and I were having this discussion a while back. We recalled how Kaepernick said his movement was “bigger than football,” and both of us wouldn’t be surprised if Kap ended his efforts on the gridiron in exchange for efforts towards addressing social issues.
And maybe Kaepernick taking the GRE test for admission to graduate school was merely the next step.
Colin Kaepernick took GRE test for graduate school admission on the #49ers day off. “No news,” he said. "Just exploring all opportunities."
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoCSN) December 13, 2016
Perhaps Kap leaves on his own terms and has no intentions on continuing a faltering NFL career.
That’s entirely possible.
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Equally as possible would be the 49ers electing to part ways with him regardless. Doing so would save the team $16.9 million in cap space next season — money that could be well spent to address the plethora of roster shortcomings San Francisco has.
Even without the financial burden, the Niners may want to rid themselves of the distraction anyway, especially if the organization feels his protests have ran their course.
At any rate, don’t lock into the idea Kaepernick will simply opt out when the season is finished.
And don’t bank on him returning to the 49ers next year either.
