There has been some speculation that the San Francisco 49ers were hesitant to name Colin Kaepernick their starting quarterback because of the way his contract is structured, but one report claims no changes have been made on that front.
At least not yet.
According to ESPN’s Jim Trotter, Kaepernick has not signed a revised contract with the 49ers, though the two sides have been discussing options.
My understanding is that Kaepernick has yet to sign a restructured contract (sides have been discussing it for weeks). Could still happen.
— Jim Trotter (@JimTrotter_NFL) October 11, 2016
The issue — if there is one — is that Kaepernick’s contract is basically a series of one-year deals. The 49ers have until April 1 of each offseason to decide if they want to pick up his salary for the following season. However, if Kaepernick were to suffer a serious injury this season, his salary for 2017 would become fully guaranteed.
Obviously, that is not ideal for the 49ers. The last thing they want to do is pay Kaepernick $14.5 million in 2017 just because he got hurt. And for Kaepernick, the last thing he wants is the team keeping him on the bench just so he stays healthy. For that reason, a restructure that eliminates the injury guarantee for 2017 might make sense for both sides.
Kelly has said that Kaepernick’s contract has no impact on whether or not he plays. In any event, Kaepernick has been named the starting quarterback for Week 6. It’s possible the move was a result of pressure from inside the 49ers locker room.
