Colin Kaepernick waiting game exhausting for Broncos and 49ers fans

The game of chicken between Trent Baalke and John Elway has turned annoyingly comical (more emphasis on annoying).

We get it. Neither side wants to flinch. They don't want to give an inch. But unlike Colin Kaepernick, we don't get $400,000 for just showing up and remaining patient.

No doubt the news was damn exciting a month ago when the rumors caught fire (for some). Broncos Country waited with bated breath for the word to come that Kaepernick was the next quarterback of the Denver Broncos. Fans started to postulate what Gary Kubiak, Rick Dennison and Greg Knapp could do with the quarterback. They imagined what the Broncos offense would look like and questioned if it would be successful. Given what Denver threw out last season on offense (despite winning Super Bowl 50), it couldn't get much worse.

Then it turned into a day.

Then a week.

Then nothing.

Then this last weekend, hopes got raised again only to be deflated ... again. "Really?"

A month later, we've turned into Harry Dunne from "Dumb and Dumber," who once said: "For God's sake, just give me the damn number" Only we just want the "damn" move to happen ... or not.

Patience is no doubt a virtue, and if we didn't have social media, none of this would be an issue. We would read daily updates in the newspaper and move on. Now, we get hourly updates from reporters all over the country who have different sources. In instances like this, it's not unusual to get conflicting reports from multiple reporters within the span of 30 seconds. It's all part of the "sources" game.

Broncos Country should be thankful Elway has remained patient throughout this maddening process and not given Baalke what he wants, but that doesn't mean everyone else has to do so.

According to reports, the remaining hold up in this trade is a long-term contract between Kaepernick and the Broncos. Kaepernick doesn't want to lose the best earning years of his career, and Denver doesn't want to throw money at a player who has struggled in recent seasons. As Elway is apt to do, he wants Kaepernick to prove it before throwing big money at him in the years to come.

It's been reported the Broncos want Kaepernick through 2020. That means he's their guy at quarterback, and one would think the two sides will continue to negotiate until an agreement is hashed out.

Thus, the most recent impasse.

The fact that the 49ers have continued with their charade helps explain why they've dropped so far in recent years. Everyone in the country, even those who don't watch the NFL, know Kaepernick doesn't want to play for that organization anymore, and it doesn't want him. Yet that same organization continues to say "we really, really, really want him. No really." Yet, Baalke and owner Jed York allow Kaepernick to meet with Elway at least twice, most recently last week at Elway's home in Denver.

Kaepernick's teammates in San Francisco know he's met with Elway, at least twice. They know he doesn't want to be there. New 49ers coach Chip Kelly knows this. He knows Kaepernick won't listen to him.

There's no way San Francisco wants that drama in the locker room - with a new coach on top of that. Kelly won't put his job in jeopardy over a quarterback who doesn't want to be there.

The 49ers brass must know this, right?

Here's a quick solution to one of the holdups: Baalke and the 49ers just release Kaepernick. They move on and allow Kelly to fix their mess without added distractions. Baalke loves draft picks, but is this worth a late third-round pick?

As San Jose Mercury News sports columnist Tim Kawakami said on Twitter, "Everybody in the NFL is making sense on this issue ... except 49ers management and 49ers associates."

Remember, this is the same organization that hired Jim Tomsula as head coach and thought he was Steve Kerr, the head coach of the Golden State Warriors. Not quite.

This move will happen, it's just a matter of patience and time.

Deadlines are known to spur deals, and the next "deadline" is the draft in three weeks. That gives Elway and Kaepernick's representatives time to reach agreement on a contract before the draft.

In the meantime, too bad we don't get an extra $400k for remaining patient and letting this play out.