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Colin Kaepernick can be a Super Bowl champion, but it won't make him especially well paid (comparatively, at least). Thanks to the NFL's CBA, Kaepernick cannot re-negotiate his contract, even if he wins a Super Bowl and the San Francisco 49ers want to. He is locked into his rookie deal no matter what, says Adam Schefter.
Sixty minutes from a world championship, Kaepernick is finishing up Year Two of a four-year, $5.12 million deal that is worth more than $3 million less in full than what Mark Sanchez will make from the New York Jets next season.
Yet Kaepernick has no out. He is locked into the deal until after the 2013 season.
Of course, Kaepernick will have a fat contract waiting for him once his rookie deal runs out, but that doesn't do him any good for 2013. Instead, Sanchez will get paid to run into his linemen and fumble.
There are two sides to this:
- Kaepernick signed his deal and should have to play it out. He agreed to be paid that much and that's how much he should be paid, whether he's great or not.
- A player should be rewarded for his excellent play. Kaepernick has the 49ers in the Super Bowl and should be paid like a Super Bowl caliber quarterback.