[ColoradoTree]

Is it really sounding like Kaepernick is going to the Broncos? I really wanted to see what Kelly could do with him... They don't really think Gabbert is the future, do they?

Man, glad I'm not a niners fan.

At least in Denver, it sounds like that, and national folks have reported that (1) he's the Broncos' first choice, (2) SF wants a 2nd round pick for him, (3) Denver might be willing to give up a 3rd rounder, but no higher than that, and (4) Kaepernick would be willing to restructure his deal to accommodate Denver's wishes.  (Probably useful to keep in mind that Denver picks last in each round, making its 3rd rounder the least valuable 3rd rounder, not counting compensatory picks.)  Apparently the Browns and Jets have asked about Kaepernick, too, so that might drive up the price a bit.  Saw a report that Kaepernick prefers the Jets as a landing spot, but that was before the Denver situation opened up, so that's probably no longer relevant given the report that he'd be willing to restructure his deal if he ended up in Denver.  I think we can agree that from his perspective, going to Denver (with Thomas and Sanders at WR and with the bulk of that defense returning) is a much more appealing option right now than going to the Jets or Browns.

As for his future in SF, benching him in favor of Blaine Gabbert seemed like a sign he was done there.  Kelly coaching him would have been interesting, that's for sure, and I frankly thought that hiring Kelly was a sign SF was going to stick with Kaepernick.  And of course, listening to offers doesn't mean they'll deal him, but if they plan on keeping Kaepernick, they're certainly going about it in a strange way.

And at the risk of veering even further off topic (though it's at least related to Denver's pursuit of Kaepernick), I still can't believe Osweiler just got a $72M deal, with a whopping $37 million real American dollars of that guaranteed.  I get that QBs come at a premium price, but goodness, this feels like Matt Flynn all over again (though even the Flynn deal was for just 3 years and $20M, $9M of it guaranteed--just 4 years ago, though).  Osweiler now averages more per year than Matt Stafford and the same as Tony Romo.  Osweiler's 51.4% guaranteed percentage (though behind the fully guaranteed deals for recent top picks Blake Bortles, Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston, and our own Andrew Luck, or the fully guaranteed one-year deal Kirk Cousins just signed) is better than Aaron Rodgers, Eli Manning, Cam Newton, Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, Ben Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson, and other guys that have actually started lots of games in the NFL.  Viewed from another angle, his $9.25M average guaranteed salary per year ranks 8th in the league.  Man, if he busts, that's an expensive mistake. 

[ColoradoTree]

Is it really sounding like Kaepernick is going to the Broncos? I really wanted to see what Kelly could do with him... They don't really think Gabbert is the future, do they?

Man, glad I'm not a niners fan.

At least in Denver, it sounds like that, and national folks have reported that (1) he's the Broncos' first choice, (2) SF wants a 2nd round pick for him, (3) Denver might be willing to give up a 3rd rounder, but no higher than that, and (4) Kaepernick would be willing to restructure his deal to accommodate Denver's wishes.  (Probably useful to keep in mind that Denver picks last in each round, making its 3rd rounder the least valuable 3rd rounder, not counting compensatory picks.)  Apparently the Browns and Jets have asked about Kaepernick, too, so that might drive up the price a bit.  Saw a report that Kaepernick prefers the Jets as a landing spot, but that was before the Denver situation opened up, so that's probably no longer relevant given the report that he'd be willing to restructure his deal if he ended up in Denver.  I think we can agree that from his perspective, going to Denver (with Thomas and Sanders at WR and with the bulk of that defense returning) is a much more appealing option right now than going to the Jets or Browns.

As for his future in SF, benching him in favor of Blaine Gabbert seemed like a sign he was done there.  Kelly coaching him would have been interesting, that's for sure, and I frankly thought that hiring Kelly was a sign SF was going to stick with Kaepernick.  And of course, listening to offers doesn't mean they'll deal him, but if they plan on keeping Kaepernick, they're certainly going about it in a strange way.

And at the risk of veering even further off topic (though it's at least related to Denver's pursuit of Kaepernick), I still can't believe Osweiler just got a $72M deal, with a whopping $37 million real American dollars of that guaranteed.  I get that QBs come at a premium price, but goodness, this feels like Matt Flynn all over again (though even the Flynn deal was for just 3 years and $20M, $9M of it guaranteed--just 4 years ago, though).  Osweiler now averages more per year than Matt Stafford and the same as Tony Romo.  Osweiler's 51.4% guaranteed percentage (though behind the fully guaranteed deals for recent top picks Blake Bortles, Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston, and our own Andrew Luck, or the fully guaranteed one-year deal Kirk Cousins just signed) is better than Aaron Rodgers, Eli Manning, Cam Newton, Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, Ben Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson, and other guys that have actually started lots of games in the NFL.  Viewed from another angle, his $9.25M average guaranteed salary per year ranks 8th in the league.  Man, if he busts, that's an expensive mistake.