With Brock Osweiler now out the door, the Denver Broncos need a quarterback, and according to reports, their top target is San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
For the last few weeks, the 49ers have stated that Kaepernick was not on the trade table, but NFL Network’s Mike Silver says differently. In fact, he says a deal could be quickly headed down the pipeline.
Talks have intensified between the 49ers and Broncos re: Kaepernick. But Broncos are not the only suitor. More on @nflnetwork soon
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) March 10, 2016
Ian Rapoport echoed those sentiments.
To echo what @MikeSilver is saying, talks heating up. #Broncos are out front in trying to trade for Colin Kaepernick. 2 other teams involved
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 10, 2016
The trade makes sense, too. Not only has Kaepernick already asked to be traded, but there’s clearly a market for him. The question for the Broncos, though, becomes whether those “2 other teams” drive the price up high enough that John Elway walks away. He’s already proven that he’s not going to invest too much into a questionable quarterback with Brock; suddenly handing the 49ers a treasure chest of assets for Kaepernick would be surprising.
And thanks to Matt Maiocco, we now know who those “2 other teams” are.
Compensation for QB Colin Kaepernick has not yet been good enough for 49ers to make deal, source says. Broncos, Jets and Browns involved.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) March 10, 2016
If the Jets truly believe Ryan Fitzpatrick isn’t coming back, then that makes sense. The Browns interest, though, is a bit more confusing; the general consensus has been that they were going to use their No. 2 pick in the draft on a quarterback — would they still do that with Kaepernick in the building?
Still, it would seem as if the Broncos have the greatest need. But as Denver has already witnessed, the NFL offseason can be unpredictable.