Harkins: Market for Colin Kaepernick is slowly shrinking

The San Francisco 49ers were at one point adamant that they would be keeping Colin Kaepernick around. That thinking slowly eroded as it became apparent that there was a market for the once promising quarterback.

Now, though, as that market slowly shrinks, you have to wonder if they will keep him and give him another shot to shine under new coach Chip Kelly.

Things are still fluid, obviously, but two developments have made it more likely they keep Kaepernick. First, on Monday, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported some pretty strong comments that the Cleveland Browns are focusing on signing Robert Griffin III instead of trading with the 49ers.

Browns Executive Vice President of Football Operations Sashi Brown told Cabot that the Browns are not involved in Kaepernick talks and “at this point we don’t anticipate being engaged with San Francisco.”

He added that the 49ers called to see if the Browns were interested and that the sides engaged in preliminary talks but never negotiated a draft pick or new contract for the QB. He said the Browns’ interest in Kaepernick was “over-reported.”

While Brown did not make a Griffin III signing sound imminent, he made it clear he’s interested in the former No. 2 overall pick. Keep in mind that the Browns also have the No. 2 pick in the 2016 draft, so they could be looking to the draft for a QB if they don’t nab Griffin.

To make matters worse for the 49ers, another team that would seemingly need a quarterback apparently is not in the market.

"Case Keenum is going to be our starter at the beginning of the season."

-Les Snead, Rams GM on @nflnetwork

— Erin Coscarelli (@erincoscarelli) March 21, 2016

So what does that leave?

The Denver Broncos – maybe – for one. Denver has been in on Kaepernick from the start after seeing Peyton Manning retire and Brock Osweiler seek riches in Houston.

They did bring in Mark Sanchez, a serviceable veteran with plenty of starting experience. But you have to wonder if Denver would really want him behind center. Another thing to consider is that the Broncos are not awash in cap space and might want Kaepernick to re-work his deal, even though his contract isn’t outrageous by quarterback standards.

The New York Jets could also be a possibility as they have still not been able to re-sign Ryan Fitzpatrick. The team reportedly low-balled Fitzpatrick with an offer of between $7-8 million per year, which potentially upset the veteran who threw 31 touchdown passes last season.

Does this mean they are after Kaepernick? Maybe, but ESPN reported that the Jets still want to make a deal with Fitzpatrick, and the New York Post reported that the Jets are “not seen as a serious suitor” for Kaepernick.

Given all of this, the Broncos seem like the most-likely landing spot for quarterback who led the 49ers to the 2012 Super Bowl. That is, if he moves at all. The 49ers have maintained that they’re eager to see how Kaepernick works with Kelly in an offseason program that begins in two weeks.

If they can’t get what they want for Kaepernick, it might make sense for the 49ers to hold onto him and see what he can do under Kelly – either to prove he can be their long-term QB or to increase his trade value.

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