Colin Kaepernick ‘absolutely’ will be on 49ers’ roster when his huge 2016 salary kicks in, GM says
New coach Kyle Shanahan’s first order of business in San Francisco is to find the 49ers a new starting quarterback, or figure out a way to get more out of Kaepernick, who will either get paid $16.9 million by the 49ers or create the same amount of cap space if released.
Colin Kaepernick appeared to be finished as a San Francisco 49er midway through last season when he was benched in favor of Blaine Gabbert.
After all, a base salary of $11.9 million seems a bit much to pay a guy who will be riding the bench all season.
That’s how much Kaepernick is guaranteed to make if he’s on San Francisco’s roster by April 1. And 49ers General Manager Trent Baalke told reporters at the NFL scouting combine Wednesday that the young quarterback “absolutely” will be on the team’s roster when that date rolls around.
But, he added, the organization still intends to “scour the position” in free agency and before the draft.
Baalke also said the roster spot and large salary don’t guarantee a starting spot for Kaepernick under new Coach Chip Kelly.
“Obviously, we’ve got two quarterbacks that have proven they can go into NFL games and play at a high level,” Baalke said. “There’s no working knowledge of either of these quarterbacks with respect to the new staff. So, all of these guys are going to be competing for their positions, not just the quarterback position.”
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