Report: 49ers will keep QB Colin Kaepernick, guarantee 2016 salary

San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke says quarterback Colin Kaepernick will be on the team’s roster on April 1 when he’s due $11.9 million.

San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke says quarterback Colin Kaepernick will be on the team’s roster on April 1 when he’s due $11.9 million, reports CSN Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco.

The news of Baalke’s commitment to Kaepernick comes in the wake of a report from earlier this month that the quarterback had expressed an interest in joining the New York Jets. 

Kaepernick, who was benched halfway through the season after the team decided to start Blaine Gabbert, threw for 1,615 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions over nine games in 2015. He has five years remaining on a $114 million contract he signed in 2014. 

San Francisco finished the 2015 season with a 5–11 record and subsequently fired head coach Jim Tomsula after his first year with the team.

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The 49ers then hired former Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly.