Since 2016, Colin Kaepernick has been feuding with the NFL over a multitude of things. It began as a protest that negatively impacted league viewership and snowballed into a lawsuit against all 32 owners. This week, after battling back and forth for years, the NFL organized a chance for Kaepernick to tryout in Atlanta with all teams invited to attend. Recordings will be sent to all teams, whether or not the organization sends a representative.
While Kap may view this as a step in the right direction, he probably shouldn’t make an NFL roster; regardless of his unfavorable past with the league.
He’s Too Old
The most glaring issue is that Kaepernick is far too old to be a serviceable quarterback. He just turned 32. Should he make a roster, he’d instantly become the twenty-second oldest QB in the league. And, while yes, some of those twenty-one older play-callers are Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and the like, others include Chad Henne, Alex Tanney, and Drew Stanton.
He Won’t Be Able to Run
While age is surmountable, especially for a quarterback, Kaepernick doesn’t play a style of football that lends him to longevity. In his prime, he was a stellar passer and an even better runner. Kaepernick is one of just five players to ever throw for three touchdowns and rush for 100 yards in the same game. Fellow outspoken activist Eric Reid called him “Lamar Jackson before Lamar Jackson.” Kaepernick and Reid played on the 49ers together for four years.
Over his five-year career as a starter, Kaepernick averaged 550 rushing yards per 16-game season. His lowest rushing season during that span was in and injury-shortened 2015, where he was on pace for 455 yards. In today’s NFL, that would be the third-highest rushing season, assuming all current players continue at their current pace. Since 2000, Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb, David Garrard, Jeff Garcia, and Rich Gannon are the only QBs to ever finish in the top three for QB rushing yards at 30+ years old.
He Never Could Pass
Because he’s too old to run, Kaepernick must rely on his shaky arm. Remember when I said he was a stellar passer? He was… in flashes. He has multiple games with 300+ air yards, including a 412-yard game in 2013. However, in terms of accuracy, his sub-60% completion percentage would be the third-worst in the league.
He Hasn’t Played in Nearly Three Years
Should Kaepernick return to the NFL, he’d be playing professional football for the first time since New Year’s 2017. He literally hasn’t played an NFL game during the soon-concluding term of President Trump. No player in NFL history has ever rejoined the league after such a long absence.
Football is a strenuous game. No matter how hard you work out in the offseason, nothing can prepare you for the level of physicality in football other than football. No, he hasn’t forgotten everything about the sport, but the biggest factor that separates the good from the great at the youth level is something he has forgotten – how to take a hit.
He Was Awful Last Time He Played
For a span of his career, Kaepernick was an MVP candidate, but that was short-lived. Over the last half of the 75 games he played, he averaged 182.8 passing yards per game, one touchdown, and .4 picks per game, completing just 59.1% of passes. He did, however, run for a spectacular 39.2 yards per game, eclipsing his career average.
But those passing numbers are downright repulsive. Today, he’d beat only Mitch Trubisky and Ryan Fitzpatrick in passing YPG and tie Marcus Mariota for the worst completion percentage.
In 2016, he lost the starting job in San Francisco to Blaine Gabbert. Gabbert, at the time, was 8-27 as a starter and had a career quarterback rating of 71.9 For context, Sam Darnold is last in the league in QB rating at 74.5.
This isn’t a political commentary. Colin Kaepernick just isn’t ready to rejoin the NFL. Had he done a stint in the CFL or the AAF, then he could potentially make a comeback. But, he’s too old and has been out of the league too long to be a viable option, even for teams like Cincinnati or Miami.
With that said, it feels as though the upcoming tryout is more about the NFL than Kaepernick. There are two possible outcomes from the audition, and both help the league tremendously. If he doesn’t make the team, that’s that. The league did everything they could to help him make a roster, and he just wasn’t up to snuff. If he does make a team, that’s a huge PR boost for helping a guy make a roster.
It’s worth noting that if Kaepernick does make a roster, it may be an asterisked signing. Did he make the cut because he was worthy? Or, was it Goodell telling an owner with cap room to spare that he must sign an over-the-hill nuisance to the league.
Do you think Kaepernick deserves a spot on an NFL roster? If so, with who? Let me know on Instagram, @zekepersources.