SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Now that the primary trade suitor is out of the market, is there any reason to think Colin Kaepernick won’t remain a member of the San Francisco 49ers?
“I never thought that anyway,” new 49ers coach Chip Kelly said after the first round of the NFL draft. “So, my thoughts haven’t changed since I sat down with you guys at the combine. I think that’s what I said and I’m sticking to it.”
The Denver Broncos traded up five spots to No. 26 on Thursday night to snag Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch. Shortly after, Broncos executive vice president of football operations John Elway told 9News the team was ending its pursuit of Kaepernick, who was benched last season in favor of Blaine Gabbert, ended up on injured reserve and requested permission to seek a trade in February.
Things progressed far enough with Denver that Kaepernick had multiple face-to-face meetings with Elway. But the sides couldn’t reach an agreement on adjusting Kaepernick’s contract, which is set to pay him $14.3 million in 2016, including a fully guaranteed base salary of $11.9 million and $400,000 tied to an offseason workout bonus.
Asked if it bothered him that things progressed so far, Kelly said: “No, my conversations with Kap is that I understand that the NFL is a business and you have an agent and there’s things you take care of. The one thing I told him, and I think he can tell you this happened, I said, ‘If you’re here (for the start of the offseason program) on April 4th – and I really want you to be here on April 4th – we’re just going to coach the heck out of you.’ And he’s been outstanding since he’s been here on April 4th.”
Hours before the draft began Thursday night, Kaepernick was on the field for the final day of the 49ers’ minicamp, mostly shadowing Gabbert and the other 49ers’ other healthy quarterbacks as he continues to rehab from shoulder, knee and thumb surgeries.
“He’s worked as hard as anybody on this team in his rehab,” Kelly said. “He’s been great in every single meeting we’ve had. He’s been at every single training session we’ve had. So, I’ve got nothing but positive things to say about Kap, and I’m excited about him. I think he’s a heck of a football player.”
There are still other teams with unsettled quarterback situations – most notable, the New York Jets, who have yet to re-sign their incumbent starter, journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick. But it remains to be seen if any other trade options for Kaepernick gather momentum.
Asked directly if Kaepernick is off the trade market, 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said: “We’ve answered this question a lot, OK? And we’re moving forward with the guys that are on this football team, and Colin’s on this football team and been a big part of this football team for a long time.”
There’s still time for the 49ers to add a young quarterback of their own to a roster that currently includes Kaepernick, Gabbert, Thad Lewis and Dylan Thompson.
After taking Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner at No. 7 overall and trading back into the first round for Stanford guard Joshua Garnett at No. 28, they have nine picks remaining, starting with the 68th overall selection in the third round Friday.
“You’ve got another day tomorrow and another day on Saturday to see what’s available out there,” Kelly said. “But I’ve said from Day 1, I’m extremely comfortable with those guys. If that’s what we have going for it, I’m excited about it.”
Follow Tom Pelissero on Twitter @TomPelissero.
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