The 49ers hold the rights to Colin Kaepernick in 2016 and beyond, but where the quarterback plays next season remains up in the air.
Two days after Kaepernick’s agents requested permission to seek a trade, two teams emerged as potential landing spots.
The Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans are "at least" two franchises with interest in acquiring the passer, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Saturday.
[MAIOCCO: Report: Kaepernick requests permission to seek trade]
Josh McCown, Johnny Manziel and Austin Davis all started games for the Browns in 2015, combining for a 3-13 record and 20 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. The Texans had inconsistency at quarterback as well, as Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett, T.J. Yates and Brandon Weeden each recorded starts in 2015.
The request from Kaepernick to seek a trade came shortly after general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Chip Kelly expressed their desire to retain the quarterback in 2016, NFL Network’s Rand Getlin reported on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Baalke was asked if he envisioned Kaepernick on the 49ers this season. His answer: “Absolutely.”
San Francisco 49ers
But in an earlier session with Bay Area reporters, when Baalke was pressed about Kaepernick remaining on the team and not being traded, he did not rule out any conclusion.
“Bottom line, all of these guys under contract are under contract and the expectation is to move forward with them,” Baalke said. “I can’t predict tomorrow with anybody. The expectation is he’s on our roster. I’ve stated that multiple times.”