Over the weekend, NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport tweeted that Colin Kaepernick is expected to opt out of his contract once the season ends. On Tuesday, Kaepernick met with the media and said no decision had been made. He said Rapoport’s report, “blew me away,” and any decision would come after the season ends.
"I wish I knew (who said he would opt out) because I would go have a talk with him Kaepernick said. He'll make his decision at season's end.
— Kevin Lynch (@klynch49) December 6, 2016
We’ll ever know for certain who told Rapoport that Kaepernick was going to opt out. It is possible Rapoport’s sources were offering their own inferences based on what they have heard from Kaepernick or his agent. Or maybe it was Kaepernick’s agent just getting that out there.
I don’t know exactly what Kaepernick’s camp would gain from leaking that information at this point. He can’t opt out until after the season, and with the trade deadline passed, there won’t be any sort of trade at this point. Some people talk just because they like to talk. It’s all just sort of a random sequence of events, and I’m open to any interpretations of all this.
Kaepernick has until late February to make his opt-out decision. If he opts out, the team can still re-sign him, but they cannot designate him as their franchise player.