Denver Broncos Rumors: Colin Kaepernick Meets With John Elway, Broncos Interested In Trade

Denver Broncos rumors about Colin Kaepernick just took a huge step forward. These Broncos rumors state that team general manager John Elway met with Kaepernick again this past week, possibly to see how well the quarterback would fit with the franchise. A report from CBS Sports states that the meeting took place at Elway’s house in Denver on March 31, and that this isn’t the first time that the two have met in person. This could suggest that a Broncos trade with the San Francisco 49ers is coming.

Previous Denver Broncos rumors have also linked the team to quarterbacks Josh McCown and Brian Hoyer, but neither have as much talent as Kaepernick. The allure for the Broncos stems in the 2013 and 2014 NFL seasons for Kaepernick. In 2013, he posted 3,197 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 91.6 for the 49ers. Kaepernick followed that up with 3,369 passing yards and 19 passing touchdowns in the 2014 NFL season. He also helped lead the 49ers all the way to the Super Bowl.

Struggles with health and on-field performance in 2015 created a situation where the San Francisco 49ers have explored moving on without Colin Kaepernick. Several teams other than the Denver Broncos have been linked in trade talks, including the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans. While the Browns might still have a lot of interest in acquiring Kaepernick, and while they also possess better assets than the Broncos, John Elway could be motivated to overpay for Kaepernick at this point.

With a recent deadline passing, Colin Kaepernick now has a guaranteed contract for the 2016 NFL season. He will earn a base salary of $11.9 million, in addition to bonuses that his contract will net him. That’s not an expensive deal for a starting quarterback in the NFL, but the Denver Broncos would have to get very creative to afford it. A recent report states that the Broncos have almost no salary cap space for the upcoming NFL year, meaning the team would have to send salaries back to the 49ers or cut players from the active roster.

Could these Denver Broncos trade rumors actually lead to the acquisition of Colin Kaepernick? A reality is that the San Francisco 49ers have a ton of cap space for this year, meaning the team could take back a contract in any trade with the Broncos. That might require Denver to add an additional pick or two to any deal, possibly leading to a very small return from the 2016 NFL Draft for the Broncos. With Mark Sanchez slated to be the starting quarterback for the next two seasons, it might give the Broncos incentive to make a deal quickly.

If the Broncos did trade for Kaepernick and the former Pro Bowl quarterback turned things around, he could be a great option for the team over the duration of his contract. Kaepernick is signed through the 2020 NFL season with salary escalators built into his deal that are both player and team friendly. This might lead to Kaepernick being the starting quarterback in Denver for the next five years if the early results turn out to be positive. With Mark Sanchez as a backup, the Broncos could be good enough with Kaepernick to compete again.

The interesting question becomes what would the San Francisco 49ers take in exchange for Colin Kaepernick? If the Broncos offered a second-round pick as well as several late-round selections, a deal could come to fruition very soon. The negotiations could get tricky, though, if the Denver Broncos need to add a salaried player into the deal. In all the trade talks, the 49ers hold the advantage by possessing Kaepernick, so a deal might not be as close as rumors have indicated.

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