As much as the 49ers and Colin Kaepernick may try to characterize his new contract as something that applies only to the 49ers and Kaepernick, other teams hope to apply multiple aspects of the Kaepernick contract to their own quarterbacks.
Per a source with knowledge of the discussions, the Kaepernick contract had a strong influence on the Dalton talks. Which shouldn’t be a surprise, given that owner Mike Brown publicly declared that the Kaepernick structure should be applied to Dalton’s deal.
One specific term created significant consternation, prompting Dalton ultimately to decide not to pursue money guaranteed in the event of a catastrophic injury. To offset his own injury-only guarantees, Kaepernick agreed to buy a $20 million disability policy payable to the team and costing roughly $2 million in pre-tax salary.
And here’s where it gets even weirder. A source with knowledge of the Kaepernick contract and insurance policy tells PFT that, while the 49er aren’t required to pay Kaepernick’s injury-only guaranteed money for a career-ending injury suffered away from football, the 49ers get the $20 million if Kaepernick suffers a career-ending injury anywhere, at any time.
For that reason (and many others), it makes far more sense to pass on the injury-only guaranteed money and to buy a disability policy with benefits payable not to the team but to the player who is paying the premium.
