Since San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick appeared to regress last year, fans have been wondering if another down season will lead to his release next offseason. The Niners structured the QB's extension last summer in a way in which they could part ways with him without a huge financial hit. He'll count for just $7.3 million or less in dead cap money in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
But those who are worried that Kaep is a lost cause should remember the lack of pass-catching weapons that surrounded him in 2014. Yes, the 27-year-old signal-caller needs to take better care of the ball and make better decisions from the pocket. But it's hard to succeed with a 34-year-old Anquan Boldin, an ineffective Michael Crabtree and a head coach that everyone knew was getting canned. Let's give the guy one more year with the additions of Torrey Smith and Reggie Bush in free agency before we label him a complete bust. It wasn't long ago that the 49ers were leading the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl, after all.
Even if Kaepernick doesn't improve drastically this year, it's highly unlikely that the 49ers would pull the plug on him.
"One negotiator said he thought guarantees, while important, command too much attention, overshadowing the realities of the position," ESPN's Mike Sando wrote. "While a pay-as-you-go structure clears the way for Miami, Cincinnati or San Francisco to break from their quarterbacks after a couple of seasons, these are unrealistic scenarios. What are the 49ers going to do? Go with Blaine Gabbert."
"Cutting the quarterback is a lot harder than cutting any other position because you must have a real alternative," a team executive told Sando. "The market for the guys who get cut is still strong unless they were so bad that the deal was horrific for the team in the first place. You could say the Bears would release Cutler without the guarantee, but he would have gotten $10-12 million or more guaranteed somewhere else. The scarcity of quarterbacks makes these guys in demand always."
Kaepernick has his flaws as a player, there's no denying that. But he's also a dynamic playmaker with elite athleticism for the position that has been successful in the past. That's a tough thing to give up on so quickly, especially given the dearth of quality alternatives available. Expect the 49ers to give Kaepernick every chance to succeed in San Francisco.
