Colin Kaepernick trade rumors: Eagles interested in 49ers quarterback?

According to Jayson Braddock, the San Francisco 49ers are shopping starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick. 49ers' GM Trent Baalke has already denied this speculation but Braddock stands firm by his report. Two teams have already shown interest in Kaepernick, and one of them is the Philadelphia Eagles.

Braddock appears to be a pretty reliable source. He was the first to report on the Eagles' deal with Byron Maxwell. He also broke the story about Ryan Mallett being traded to the Houston Texans last year.

The Eagles having interest in Kaepernick could make some sense. At 6-5, 233 pounds, he's a pretty impressive athlete. He's 25-14 as a starter in 39 games played for San Francisco with a career completion percentage of 60.1, 8,415 passing yards, 50 touchdowns, 21 interceptions, 7.5 yards per attempt, and a 90.6 passer rating. He's also rushed for 1,576 yards on 261 attempts (6.0 average) for 10 touchdowns.

Philadelphia could be looking for a new quarterback this offseason. Nick Foles is scheduled to enter the final year of his rookie deal and it's unclear if Chip Kelly wants him around in the long term. Recent rumors indicate that the Eagles will try to trade up to draft Marcus Mariota but the cost could be prohibitive. Trading for Kaepernick would figure not to be as nearly as costly.

But it might not be very realistic either. If the 49ers trade Kaepernick, they would have literally nothing left at quarterback. Both Blaine Gabbert and Josh Johnson will be free agents if not re-signed before Tuesday. Neither qualify as starting options anyway. Then again, perhaps the Eagles could prefer to include Foles in the trade.

Time will tell if Philadelphia's interest is legitimate.