The NFL offseason is pretty much over for some teams, but that doesn’t mean that NFL teams have to stop making deals to help them in the future. The 49ers have just proved my point by extending QB Colin Kaepernick’s contract by 6 years. The deal is worth over $110 million and may eclipse $20 million a year, with a guaranteed $61 million. This will most likely mean that Kaepernick will call the signals for San Francisco for the coming years, as this upcoming season would have been the last year in his original rookie contract.
Kaepernick, who was taken in the 2nd round with the 36th pick of the 2011 NFL Draft by San Francisco, has been one of the premier QBs since being drafted. Before football, Colin was a baseball player, he was even drafted in 2009 by the Chicago Cubs. He started Football in 2007 as a redshirt freshman for the University of Nevada, but saw little action through the first 4 games. Kaepernick then started from Game 5 onward after the regular starting QB came down with a season ending foot injury mid-game. He finished his first year of college ball out with a QB rating of 161.06. In 2008, Kaepernick became just the 5th player in NCAA history to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 or more yards in a single season. The 2009 and 2010 seasons brought similar success for the young QB, and in 2010 he and two other teammates would have a display in the College Football Hall of Fame, commemorating their being the first people in NCAA history to break 1,000 rushing yards on the same team during the same year. He entered the NFL Draft after graduating in 2010 from the University of Nevada Reno.
In the 2011 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers traded the 37th overall pick to the Denver Broncos for the 36th overall pick. The 49ers also gave up the 45th, 108th and 141st overall picks to draft Kaepernick. He signed a four-year deal worth $5.12 million with the 49ers after being drafted. He debuted in the NFL on October 2 during a Week 4 regular season match-up with the Philadelphia Eagles. He played again in Week 5 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a winning effort. Although the 49ers finished the year 13-3, they ended up losing in the NFC Championship game to the eventual Super Bowl champion, the New York Giants. Kaepernick chalked up his first career touchdown with a 7 yard run against the New York Jets in the 2012 season. Kaepernick got his first career start the same year during a Monday Night Football game against the Chicago Bears. He set the record for most running yards by a QB in a single game in his first career postseason start against the Green Bay Packers with 181 rushing yards (the previous record was 173). The 49ers ended up back in the NFC Championship game and won this time. The 49ers ended up losing to the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl that year. Kaepernick led his team back to the postseason this past season, only to be eliminated in the NFC Championship game by the eventual Super Bowl champion, the Seattle Seahawks
This contract extension is, as earlier mentioned, given Kaepernick a guaranteed $61 million, which is $2 million more than Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan for most guaranteed money in any NFL deal. The contract extension is through 2020, which means Kaepernick has a few WR threats in his arsenal until his contract is up. Is the deal a mistake or is this a great thing? Only time, Kaepernick, and football will tell.
Photo Credit: USATSI