NFL Trade Rumors: Are the 49ers Planning to Trade Colin Kaepernick to Get Draft Rights to Johnny Manziel?
San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh is reportedly interested in acquiring Johnny Manziel, creating speculation that he could strike up a trade to acquire the quarterback in the 2014 NFL Draft in May.
"I'd welcome the challenges of taking Johnny Manziel," Harbaugh said during a recent owner's meeting, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. "He sees the field like nobody I've ever seen see the field in college football. You'd love to work with that."
Harbaugh's statement fueled spurred The Chronicle to suggest that the 49ers should consider trading starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick in order to snag Manziel.
According to SF Chronicle' reporter Kevin Lynch, Harbaugh's recent statement about Manziel's ability to see the field very well could be viewed as an indirect attack on Kaepernick.
Kaepernick, 26, posted 3,197 passing yards with 21 touchdowns last season, but was criticized for completing just 58.4 percent of his passes.
Kaepernick is currently negotiating a contract extension with the 49ers, and is reportedly asking for a lucrative deal within the $18 million to $20 million range.
It is still unknown if the 49ers are willing to pay Kaepernick's asking price to secure him for the long-term, which is also one of the factors why reports about a possible trade are floating around.
The 49ers have 11 of the first 100 picks in this year's draft, and Lynch suggested that they could package most of their picks with Kaepernick to get a shot at acquiring Manziel.
That would save the 49ers a lot of money, which they could use to sign key players before the offseason, while also acquiring a promising quarterback in Manziel.
ESPN's Bill Williamson also talked about possibly trading Kaepernick, but he was convinced the 49ers won't move their prized quarterback, citing one executive, who said that Manziel has little chance of surpassing Kaepernick in the NFL.
"While such a move would save the 49ers money in the immediate future, Still, there is no guarantee Manziel would get to the level Kaepernick is that quickly and there is no guarantee Manziel will be better than Kaepernick in the long-term," Williamson wrote.