Colin Kaepernick set to leave San Francisco 49ers
Sunday 5 March 2017 14:29, UK
Quarterback Colin Kaepernick is opting out of the remainder of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers.
Kaepernick's new agents Select Sports Group are reported to have notified all 32 teams in the NFL that the 29-year-old will become a free agent on March 9.
The clause to opt out of his deal early was added when Kaepernick restructured his contract with the 49ers before he reclaimed the starting job in October.
Kaepernick's departure will save the 49ers $14.5m (£11.7m) in salary cap space, although they will still be responsible for $2.5m (£2m) in dead money over the remainder of the length of his signing bonus.
He has been with the franchise since being drafted with the 36th pick of the 2011 draft.
New 49ers general manager John Lynch had expressed his hope that Kaepernick would be back with the team next year when he took over the role earlier this year.
Kaepernick started 11 games for the 49ers in 2016 and produced a 90.7 passer rating even though the 49ers went 1-10 in the games he started.
They ended the season 2-14 and will pick second in the 2017 NFL Draft in April - they have been predicted as a possible suitor for North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky with that pick.
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