Start up the 49ers rumors machine, girls and boys.
It looks like the San Francisco 49ers are in position to make a long-term commitment to their starting quarterback this summer.
Per Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, when former 49ers cornerback Carlos Rogers' contract is taken off the books on June 1st, the San Francisco 49ers "will realize a savings of $6.6 million"--enough to get a deal done with star quarterback Colin Kaepernick with the help of some creative finance work.
"The 49ers are currently $3.726 million under the salary cap. Fitting their draft picks under the cap is expected to eat up approximately $2 million in additional cap space. Then, Rogers’ post-June 1 designation will create significant savings."
Maiocco argues that those "significant savings" will be more than enough for the San Francisco 49ers to lock up Kaepernick, using Joe Flacco's recent six-year, $120.6 million extension with the Baltimore Ravens as a prime example of a blockbuster contract which carried a easy-to-manage cap number in its first year ($6.8 million).
Last season, Colin Kaepernick became the 12th quarterback in NFL history to pass for 3,000 yards (3,197) and rush for 500 yards (524). The last San Francisco 49ers quarterback to do so was Jeff Garcia back in 2002.