Quarterback Colin Kaepernick helped the 49ers get to consecutive National Football Conference Championship games, and made a Super Bowl appearance in 2012. The question is does Kaepernick deserve to be paid among the elite quarterbacks in the league?

Kaepernick is entering the final season of the contract he signed as a rookie back in 2011. Reports have surfaced that he wants to be paid among the top five quarterbacks in the league, with contracts starting at $18 million per year.

It is evident he has played well enough for the 49ers to win games, but is he the key to the 49ers? Has he done enough to be considered among the best of the best in the NFL? Has Kaepernick proved that he can impact games for the better consistently?

Kaepernick has completed 382 of his 639 passes, good enough for a 59.8 completion percentage over all three of his seasons. He has thrown for 5,046 yards and has 31 touchdowns with only 11 interceptions.

Keep in mind the 49ers are a run-orientated team, but we have seen several quarterbacks throw for more than 5,046 yards in one season, let alone three. His completion percentage in 2013 was good enough for 31st in the league out of 32 starters.

Some games Kaepernick couldn’t even throw for 100 yards or complet more than 10 passes. That is just inexcusable for an elite quarterback; Peyton Manning can throw for 100 yards in his sleep.

You can’t say that he is hurting the team though; the 49ers have gone 17-6 with Kaepernick under center.

Playing in a Super Bowl is a huge accomplishment, but this is not a world where we reward second place. No one remembers the Rex Grossman’s of the world.

The 49ers are a team on the brink of winning a Super Bowl. Kaepernick is in the perfect environment to succeed, a lot like the 2010-2011 Jets, who went to consecutive AFC title games behind a stout defense, power running game and a young, inconsistent signal caller, Mark Sanchez.

Sanchez got a $58.25 million contract with $20.5 million guaranteed. Which is about what Kaepernick should receive from the 49ers.

Kaepernick has been successful in the playoffs; he has a 4-2 record. He boasts three road playoff wins, more than Joe Montana and Steve Young combined. It’s always great to be mentioned in the news but that won’t keep your job. Kaepernick’s three road playoff wins are just as many as Sanchez.

To say you’re among the elite in the league, you have to back it up, like Eli Manning did in 2012 when the New York Giants won their second ring.

Kaepernick’s playoff success has been limited. The story of the 2012 postseason was Kaepernick’s legs. He ran for 264 yards on 25 carries with three touchdowns. He had a 61.3 competition percentage with 798 yards and four touchdowns against two interceptions.

But in 2013, he struggled to move the ball through the air. Kaepernick completed only 54.9 percent of his passes for 576 yards and had three touchdowns with three interceptions.

You don’t get paid for losing the Super Bowl.

I am all in favor of giving Kaepernick a fair market value quarterback deal, but just because bad contracts exist, doesn’t mean that Kaepernick has to have one also. Kaepernick should get something in the $10-15 million per season range, but anything above that is just too much for the inconsistent gunslinger at this point.