The San Francisco 49ers decision to place quarterback Colin Kaepernick on injured reserve likely means his time with the team is done, but it also saves them money on this year's salary cap. The 49ers contracts frequently include game-day roster bonuses, earned if a player is on the 46-man active roster. This is meant to protect the team in case of injuries.
Kap's contract had more game-day bonuses than anybody on the team. Each year he was due $2,000,000 in game-day bonuses, which breaks down to $125,000 per game. Kap's placement on injured reserve means he will not be active for the final seven games of the season.