The San Francisco 49ers and Colin Kaepernick are nowhere near a resolution to their quarterback crisis. While Kap reportedly still insists on getting out of his deal with the Jarryd Hayne squad, the Chip Kelly team refuses to let him go without any returns for their investment. Recently, the issue appeared to have almost reached an end when the Denver Broncos expressed their interest in signing Kaepernick. However, it looks like Paxton Lynch just eliminated any hope for Kap to become the next Peyton Manning.
The NFL draft 2016 saw an unexpected twist when the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks struck a deal that subsequently landed Paxton Lynch alongside Von Miller and Mark Sanchez. The move came as a surprise especially in light of the quarterback shortage in the Kam Chancellor team who only has Russell Wilson as the lone man in the said post. With the entry of Lynch in the Denver Broncos roster, the pursuit of Kaepernick now reportedly becomes a moot point.
"Yeah, we're probably over with Kaepernick," shared John Elway following the draft of Paxton Lynch. The Denver Broncos exec added, "We're thrilled that we could get Paxton and have Mark in here like we talked about before. We're thrilled to get Mark with his experience and the way that he's going to come in and compete for that job with Paxton and Trevor, and we'll see what else we have."
This means one less leverage for Kaepernick who was expected to leave the San Francisco 49ers roster by the start of the NFL draft. Given his negative perception of his current team, the quarterback has been quite vocal with his desire to get out of the Carlos Hyde squad. However, his lucrative contract and the desire of the Chip Kelly team to squeeze their money's worth from him stopped other teams to pursue their interest. Initially, the list of teams interested in Kaepernick included the Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos and New York Jets.
The Cleveland Browns dropped out of the running when they decided to sign Robert Griffin III. This move came soon after Johnny Manziel was released from the team. RG3 is expected to compete for the starting quarterback role. Hopefully, he'll do better than Johnny Football. Meanwhile, the New York Jets are still considering ways to re-sign Ryan Fitzpatrick. While Geno Smith is readily available, the leadership of Fitzpatrick greatly impressed the New York Jets. It appears, however, that money is once again a primary consideration.
As for the Denver Broncos, the Super Bowl 50 champs signed Mark Sanchez from the Philadelphia Eagles earlier. With the entry of Paxton Lynch, adding Kaepernick in the mix does not seem to be a feasible prospect at the moment. Given the presence of both a veteran and a budding quarterback in their roster, the Denver Broncos are expected to be out of the quarterback chase this offseason.
"The one thing that we really liked about Paxton is the enthusiasm that he plays the game with," described Elway of their rookie. He added, "I think if you watch tape, he's the first down there if they have a long touchdown or whatnot -- Paxton is the first one down there in the end zone to congratulate the guy. He's involved, so I think we really liked that what we saw on tape. And his enthusiasm and the way he plays the game."
