INDIANAPOLIS - For the first time in six years, Colin Kaepernick is not under contract with the 49ers.
That inevitability became official Friday when the quarterback filed paperwork to opt out of the final year of his contract. Kaepernick will hit the open market when free agency begins Thursday.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have acknowledged Kaepernick, 29, would opt out of his contract this week at the NFL combine.
Lynch indicated the 49ers would have released Kaepernick if he didn’t opt out. Kaepernick was scheduled to earn a $14.