Rumors: Kaepernick, Browns have discussed new contract
The Cleveland Browns have agreed with the San Francisco 49ers on the pieces it would take to acquire Colin Kaepernick, but want to reconstruct his contract.
The Cleveland Browns have heard their names quite frequently regarding the trade rumors with quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The San Francisco 49ers and Kaepernick experienced turmoil in recent years, starting with him being bench in 2015 for Blaine Gabbert.
The quarterback’s unhappiness has been well-documented and his agent finally requested a trade for his client in February.
The arrival of San Francisco’s new head coach Chip Kelly, at first, seemed as if they would keep Kaepernick since Kelly has great appreciation for his talents. However, a month into Kelly’s tenure as head coach it’s still apparent the two sides will benefit from going separate ways.
The Cleveland Browns, after failing to sign any of their four free agents, have been rumored to be in position to acquire the 2012 NFC Championship quarterback. They are reportedly competing with the Denver Broncos and New York Jets.
The 49ers expect a second-round pick for Kaepernick, although the asking price is thought to be steep for a player the team benched just last season.
Cleveland and San Francisco have agreed on the draft picks it would take to complete the trade but the Browns and the quarterbacks agents are talking about restructuring his current deal., according to NFL.com’s Michael Silver.
#Browns half way done with the Kaepernick deal according to @MikeSilver pic.twitter.com/0UXo55oYat
— Believeland Insider (@Believeland24x7) March 11, 2016
Kaepernick is entering the third year of his six-year $114 million contract, with a base salary of $11.9 million for 2016.
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Browns wide receiver and best overall talent Josh Gordon is considered to be great friends with the San Francisco quarterback and safety Donte Whitner, who played with him with the 49ers from 2011-2013, tweeted his former teammate today too.
New head coach of the Browns, Hue Jackson, also has been known to believe in Kaepernick’s talents and reportedly wanted the quarterback when he was coaching the Oakland Raiders. Kaepernick would solve the Browns’ quarterback problem temporarily and certainly be an upgrade from Johnny Manziel and also Josh McCown.
As much as the San Francisco 49ers say they are prepared to keep Kaepernick if the price isn’t right, they want to move on from him once and for all.
Despite the 28-year-old has seen his production decrease over the last two seasons, if Hue Jackson believes he could bring out the best of the former Super Bowl quarterback, the Browns could make their first big move of their new regime.
Next: Johnny Manziel has been released
Free agency is underway – maybe somebody should tell the Browns? – and Cleveland has around $48 million in cap space to spend. Follow Dawg Pound Daily for all the latest news on free agency as the Browns work to rebuild their roster.