The Cleveland Browns signed 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year Robert Griffin III on Thursday, effectively taking them out of the Colin Kaepernick sweepstakes as the QB still looks to escape the San Francisco 49ers.
Not only that, but the New York Jets are also "officially out" on trying to acquire the disgruntled passer, according to a recent report. Though no progress has been made of late, the Jets are still expected to re-sign 2015 starter Ryan Fitzpatrick. That leaves the Denver Broncos as the only team "willing to and wanting to" trade for Kaepernick at the moment.
Football fans following this story shouldn't bee too surprised. A New York-Kaepernick pairing also seemed to be a bit unrealistic. Now, the 49ers and Broncos are locked into a staring match when it comes to trade talks. Who will blink first?
San Fran continues to claim that they are willing to keep Kaepernick on the roster beyond Apr. 1, when his $11.9 million 2016 salary becomes fully guaranteed. However, Broncos general manager John Elway appears content to call their bluff. If the first of the month comes and goes without any action, trade talks may not be revisited until the upcoming draft (Apr. 28-30).
49ers GM Trent Baalke said earlier this week that a trade is "nowhere near" happening right now, which suggests that Denver is unwilling to offer the second-round pick San Fran is reportedly asking for. Though talented, Kaepernick has regressed in the past two years, suppressing his value a bit on the trading block.
Without any other competition, there's no reason why the Broncos would increase their offer at this moment. But that doesn't mean they can't change things up by offering a different package.
Following the signing of free agent left tackle Russell Okung, the Broncos could throw in the talented but oft-injured Ryan Clady, 29, to any potential Kaepernick deal. Clady is expected to be traded or released either way and the 49ers have oodles of remaining salary cap space. They also have five-time Pro Bowler Joe Staley at the same position, but Clady could perhaps be moved to right tackle.
As for right now, don't expect any immediate movement on a Kaepernick deal.
