NFL Rumors: Fitzpatrick Could End Up With 49ers After Kaepernick Trade to Broncos Becomes Official

In the game of quarterback acquisition, 49ers starter Colin Kaepernick's trade to the Denver Broncos appears to have already been a sealed deal despite some minor scuffles over the athlete's contract restructuring. Ryan Fitzpatrick's case, however, is still hanging in the balance.

Fitzpatrick is currently engaged in a slow-play with his present team, the New York Jets. If no deal is made as the offseason looms, he'll probably be off-market next season unless another team drums up another offer.

"Unless another team emerges from the weeds (the 49ers, perhaps?), Fitzpatrick's only options would be to take the Jets' low-ball offer (about $7 million) or not play. It's worth noting the 49ers' offensive coordinator is Curtis Modkins, who held the same title with the Buffalo Bills during Fitzpatrick's final three seasons there (2010-2012)," wrote sports writer Rich Cimini in his ESPN article.

Will Fitzpatrick get re-signed with the Jets or end up somewhere else?

His status becomes increasingly precarious after Broncos finally got Kaepernick hooked up despite earlier attempts by Denver GM John Elway to strike a potential deal with Fitzpatrick's camp. The Broncos-Fitzpatrick negotiation reached a dead-end when his asking price was just too high for Denver despite a good performance last season with the Jets.

But as mentioned in a report by the Inquisitr, San Francisco 49ers might strike a deal with the 33-year-old journeyman to join the fold as the franchise is in need of stability that Fitzpatrick could possibly offer. Currently, the Niners roster clearly lacks a QB prodigy to pick up the slack. So far, only Blaine Gabbert appears to be the most competent paid athlete on their lineup. A possible Fitzpatrick trade to the Niners might be in the works now that the Kaepernick deal with the Broncos is almost a done deal.

Meanwhile, the last remaining objection to the Kaepernick trade to Denver is the dispute over which team should take responsibility for paying the 49ers starter his guaranteed $11.9 salary for the next season. Kaepernick and the 49ers are keen on holding out despite Bronco's willingness to shoulder $7 million according to a latest roundup by UPI. San Francisco stubbornly rejects to pay the $4.9 million difference.