Can’t spin this: Kaepernick isn’t good enough anymore
Colin Kaepernick has managed to improve his pocket presence, decision-making and accuracy without taking a single snap in nearly 26 months.
He’s magically transformed into an impactful player, who will save the day for a quarterbackneedy team if given the chance. He might even take over the reins from the greatest signal caller ever one day to keep a dynasty rolling.
Kaepernick’s settlement last week in his collusion grievance against the National Football League has prompted loyalists to spin football narratives rooted in fantasy. His attorney’s suggestion that he wouldn’t be surprised if the New England Patriots signed the polarizing signal caller added to the comical notion that this player can actually make a difference in the league now.
Put aside whether owners actually colluded against the Kaepernick — or why he would agree to settle if he had a smoking gun — and here’s what’s left: He is not a starting-calibre NFL quarterback anymore.
“(He) absolutely wants to play,” attorney Mark Geragos said on CNN over the weekend. “He wants to compete at the highest level. This is a competitive young man.”
Sort of. It sure seems like Kaepernick’s competitiveness comes with strings attached.
After all, he chose not to compete in the Canadian
Football League in the past two years and reportedly asked the startup Alliance of American Football for at least US$20 million when they were signing every other player to three-year, $250,000 non-guaranteed contracts.
“I think you’re going to see within the next two weeks that somebody is going to step up and do the right thing. And you want me to predict who?” Geragos said. “Besides the (Carolina) Panthers, it would not surprise me if (Patriots owner) Bob Kraft makes a move.”
Geragos dropped Kraft’s name in connection with Kaepernick in September 2018, too, but nothing happened. The Patriots link this time prompted some folks to wonder aloud about how awesome it would be for the
Evil Empire to land Kaepernick.
Make no mistake: This would be a Bill Belichick decision. The Hoodie has proven that he’s not adverse to bringing in lightningrod quarterbacks for a look-see (see: Tim Tebow, in 2013).
Believe me, nobody would love to see Kaepernick take over for Tom Brady one day more than the Jets and the rest of the AFC East. Why? Well, because Kaepernick would be a flop whenever the time came to replace Brady. Spoiler alert: He isn’t a game-changer. He’s just a 31-year-old quarterback, who last played on Jan. 1, 2017.
It’s silly to suggest that Kaepernick wasn’t good enough in the past two years to be on an NFL roster, but let’s get a grip on reality now. His star on the field flickered out before he opted out of his contract with San Francisco in March 2017.
Kaepernick hasn’t been an impact player since 2013. That’s a lifetime ago in the NFL.
The 41-year-old Brady has made it abundantly clear that he wants to play until he’s 45. Best case for Kaepernick in this fantasy-land scenario that he’ll be Brady’s heir apparent: Giselle finally convinces the GOAT to retire after the 2019 season.
What clear-thinking person believes that Kaepernick, who’ll turn 33 in November 2020, would be able to perform at a high level given all the evidence to the contrary?
The delusional contingent forgets that Kaepernick, a career 59.8 per cent passer, was 3-16 as a starter in his last two seasons in the league (2015-16).
He was benched by Jim Tomsula for the great Blaine Gabbert midway through the 2015 season. Chip Kelly, whose offence seemingly was a good fit for Kaepernick’s skillset, started Gabbert for the first five weeks of the 2016 season.
The truth is Kaepernick never evolved as a pocket passer after setting the league on fire for a season and a half (2012-13) with his dual-threat skills. His pocket presence was highly questionable in the final few seasons in San Francisco.
Kaepernick’s cumulative quarterback rating in the past two seasons (52.0) that he actually played ranked 30th out of 32 QBs. His QBR inside the pocket (39.8) in that two-year window ranked dead last out of 32 signal callers. Kaepernick was the only starting quarterback to have a lower than 60 per cent completion percentage, while averaging fewer than seven yards per attempt during those two seasons.
As starters go, he just stunk. And he didn’t magically correct his flaws without any coaching/ instruction in the past two years.
Quarterbacks are ultimately judged by wins and losses. Kaepernick went 17-5 from
2012 to ’13. He was 11-25 in his last three seasons.
Is he talented enough to be a 31-year-old backup at this point?
Probably. That’s the ceiling though. This guy isn’t rescuing the Patriots, Panthers or anyone else. Suggesting otherwise is laughable.