San Francisco 49ers want to extend Colin Kaepernick before camp

San Francisco 49ers star quarterback Colin Kaepernick has some of the best weapons around him in the NFL heading into the 2014 season after the 49ers made a couple of big moves during the draft. Not only did they trade for Buffalo Bills star wide receiver Stevie Johnson after the Bills traded up for Sammy Watkins to be their new No. 1 receiver, but they also stole away the electrifying, jack-of-all-trades Bruce Ellington in the fourth round of the draft. Ellington gives them a receiver who can generate plenty of yards after the catch in the slot, and second-year pro Quinton Patton is always one to watch. That’s not even mentioning Vernon Davis, Vance McDonald, and Frank Gore either, with Davis obviously being a centerpiece player in the offense.

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It’s safe to say that all the ingredients are there for Kaepernick to have a career year in his third season as a starter, and he had an excellent season last year when you consider that he was bereft of weapons outside of Anquan Boldin and Davis before Michael Crabtree returned from his injury. When Crabtree did return, Kaepernick was back to his old self. Not only does he have even better pass-catchers going into the 2014 season and more experience, but he’ll also be motivated to make some big bank on a new extension.

CSN Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco reports that the 49ers would like to extend their star QB before the start of training camp, and he reports that the 49ers are also barely under the salary cap. Kaep counts a meager $1.63 million against the cap next season, and that number would definitely rise by a massive amount under an extension that would give him the money he’s earned for his top-notch work in the incredibly tough NFC West, as well as his future upside. It will be interesting to see how Trent Baalke navigates things cap-wise, but the most important thing is locking Kaepernick up and watching him explode next season; I have a feeling the 49ers will be passing the ball more often next year, even if they also added Carlos Hyde at RB.