It’s big news whenever a franchise quarterback signs a new contract, but San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s record-breaking contract extension shook up the position ranks more than say, Jay Cutler’s way back in January.
If he isn't hurt, this is only time when Cutler makes news.
Kaep’s six-year extension, good for $126 million with $61 million guaranteed, is notable for a myriad of different reasons, least of all the fact that $61 million is the richest guarantee money ever.
Kaepernick getting the full $61 million is contingent on a laundry list of variables.
The 49ers made it so that Kaep receives the money on a sliding basis per year. He’s only taking $13.328 million home with him as a signing bonus. The rest of that guaranteed money comes in spurts pending his health and whether the Niners want him until 2020.
Remember, all NFL players are eligible to be cut from their team. This is why players hate Roger Goodell and the NFL so much.
It’s totally reasonable to expect Kaep won’t be the same electric player he was in the 2012 playoffs as he’ll be in the 2015 season. Washington knows all too well the perks and perils of a mobile quarterback.
Don’t think the Niners fleeced Kaep with an unfair deal. To his credit, he specifically requested the sliding scale in his extension so his salary wouldn't keep San Francisco from retaining his favorite wide receiver (Michael Crabtree) or his blindside protector (guard Mike Iupati). We’ll see where the Niners decide to invest.
The 49ers just set the market for the latest breed of mobile quarterbacks (RGIII, Andrew Luck) and fellow QBs in his draft class.
Divorcée Russell Wilson owes Kaepernick the finest Seattle cannabis for making him a boatload of cash that he gets to keep all by himself.
Cam Newton and Andy Dalton all came in the league with Kaep. Get your jokes ready when Carolina can’t afford to keep their defense together when Newton suckers them in for $19 million a year or when the Colts can't afford Jim Irsay’s bail money when Luck is asking for $20 million.
It’s highly unlikely either team or player elsewhere in the NFL will come away as happy as San Francisco and Kaepernick did yesterday. No other quarterback’s ceiling, maybe aside from Wilson or Newton, has been as limitless as Kaep’s to warrant being paid like Aaron Rodgers or Payton Manning. Kaep's earned the payday. He's third in total QBR in the league since his first start in late 2012.
That’s why I respect the Niner’s front office ruthlessness. They weren't seduced by Kaep’s gaudy numbers to just fork over $20+ million with no questions asked. They’re keenly aware that’s Kaep’s hefty contract depends on his development as a passer (translation: his knee doesn’t get blown out in Week Two)
Their commitment to Kaep shrinks by $2M a season starting in 2015 if he doesn't take both 80% of the snaps and either lead the Niners to the Super Bowl or land on the first or second-team All-Pro. For each year he fails to meet those marks, he loses another $2M in salary.
Boss move.
Frugal thinking like this—or like coach Jim Harbaugh shopping for khakis at a Walmart—is why San Francisco is one of the best-managed teams in the NFL.
