The much-ballyhooed comments that Peyton Manning told Bill Belichick on the field after the AFC Championship Game could have effects that reach as far as San Francisco.
That's where mercurial quarterback Colin Kaepernick is waiting to find out whether he still has a job with the 49ers in a little more than two months.
Colin Kaepernick Could Be 'Freddy Kruger scary' with Chip Kelly
His new head coach, Chip Kelly, won't talk about him, and speculation has been rampant, on both sides, whether he'll be back in San Francisco after April 1, when his 2016 salary of $14 million becomes guaranteed.
If Kelly doesn't want him, there may be a certain Super Bowl team that has interest, primarily because of the success of the quarterback on the other Super Bowl team, according to The Sacramento Bee.
Chip Kelly Snub Fuels Rumors Colin Kaepernick May Leave 49ers
"The Denver Broncos, the Panthers' opponent in Super Bowl 50, also are an interesting possibility because Peyton Manning's career seems to be coming to a close,' The Bee reported. "The Broncos will pick 30th or 31st in the draft [the Patriots lost their first-round pick in their Deflategate punishment], so they probably won't have a shot at one of the top quarterbacks.
"Kaepernick's success, like (Cam) Newton's, came on teams that had strong defenses and were dedicated to the run. Denver had the league's top defense in 2015."
The Bee points to Newton as an example of what Kaepernick could become again.
"Their 2015 statistics were more similar than you would think considering Kaepernick was benched after eight games and Newton is a favorite for the NFL's highest honor. Newton completed 59.8 percent of his passes; Kaepernick completed 59.0 percent.
"Newton also had 35 touchdown passes, 10 scoring runs and was sacked 33 times in 16 starts. Kaepernick threw for six touchdowns, ran for one and was sacked 28 times in eight starts. The biggest difference: The Panthers won a lot of games, and the 49ers lost most of theirs.
"Still, Newton's success probably is good for Kaepernick. Newton's march through the playoffs makes it easy to envision Kaepernick playing a similar style and having similar success. It's also worth noting that as low as Kaepernick is right now, it was only two years ago he and the 49ers marched through the playoffs, including that victory over Newton's Panthers."
Just like Newton has done with the Panthers, an effective Kaepernick could revitalize the Broncos' rushing attack and give them big-play potential in the passing game if his confidence isn't shot.
The future of quarterback Brock Osweiler in Denver isn't exactly clear, and if the Broncos are curious, Kaepernick just might land in a decidedly better situation.
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