Broncos pursuit of Colin Kaepernick over after drafting Paxton Lynch

The Broncos’ pursuit of 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has ended after their selection of quarterback Paxton Lynch in Thursday night’s draft.

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The Denver Broncos’ pursuit of 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has ended after their selection of quarterback Paxton Lynch in Thursday night’s NFL draft, general manager John Elway told 9 News.

“Yeah we can end that,” Elway said of the team’s previous hope of acquiring Kaepernick. “We’re thrilled we added Paxton. We think he can have a long career and he can be that guy. We’re not going to put too much pressure on  him too early,  break him in  slowly but we’re really thrilled  that he’s a guy with a lot  of upside and he’s going to continue to get better.”

The Broncos moved up from the No. 31 pick in a trade for the Seahawks’ No. 26 pick in order to draft Lynch, who was reportedly also coveted by the Dallas Cowboys.

• FARRAR: Grading Broncos’ selection of QB Paxton Lynch

The Broncos had arranged a potential trade for Kaepernick with the 49ers at the beginning of April, but the deal was reportedly derailed by Kaepernick’s unwillingness to take a pay cut.

The Broncos were exploring quarterback options in the wake of Peyton Manning’s retirement and Brock Osweiler’s departure via free agency. 

Lynch will now join Mark Sanchez and Trevor Siemien on Denver’s quarterback depth chart.

- Erin Flynn