Does Colin Kaepernick deserve a job in the NFL, at least to compete in a training camp? Absolutely, no question.
It was ridiculous that Kaepernick wasn't given a job after his "controversial" — talk about a Tweet not aging well — decision to sit and then take a knee to a protest "a country that oppresses black people and people of color" during the national anthem in the midst of the 2016 season.
Kaepernick, after seeing the writing on the wall following three tumultuous final seasons in San Francisco and with a new coach (Kyle Shanahan) likely wanting his own guy, decided to opt-out of his contract instead of having the team release him. With the anthem protest as a backdrop, no NFL team signed Kaepernick. Guys like Nathan Peterman, Joe Webb, Kevin Hogan, Chad Henne, Geno Smith, Colt McCoy and Mark Sanchez had NFL jobs in 2017. But Kaepernick, the man with a 4-2 career playoff record and a Super Bowl appearance in '13, did not. It was and continues to be a joke.
Kaepernick may turn 33 this season, but if such household names as Jacob Dolegala, Garrett Gilbert, Paxton Lynch, Alex McGough, Clayton Thorson, Alex Tanney, Tyler Bray, Tim Boyle, Kurt Benkert and Geno Smith (still!) have training camp spots on NFL rosters this season, surely Kaepernick deserves one.
It just shouldn't be in Foxborough with these Patriots as some, including Rep. Joe Kennedy, have suggested.
https://twitter.com/RepJoeKennedy/status/1270477709781729286
Do I think the idea might, in this climate, be appealing to Robert Kraft? Yes. The man who has teamed with Jay-Z and Meek Mill on criminal justice reform, who is cozy to the commissioner and has the clout and cover not to be called out by the President for signing Kapernick, might just be the perfect person to suggest it. He certainly has a head coach and football team that has shown it can handle any controversy or distraction.
While that would be a good story, it's not what's in the best interest of his football team, which we've been told governs every single decision inside One Patriots Place.
Not when Cam Newton is still available.
While Kaepernick has never been the strongest dropback passer — things started to go downhill for him when the 49ers converted their passing attack to more of a traditional scheme in 2014 — it's unfair to judge him on his final two seasons with the 49ers. Two years removed from losing the Super Bowl to the Ravens by three points, the 49ers had the second-worst point differential in the league in 2015 (with Jim Tomsula as head coach) and 2016 (Chip Kelly). If it wasn't for the 4-28 Browns, the 49ers would have been the worst team in the league two years running. Those 49ers teams were embarrassing, and it had little to do with Kaepernick.
Still, Kaepernick gets tagged with that unfairly. Before Jim Harbaugh's star burned out, Kaepernick was Lamar Jackson (even had the same offensive coordinator, Greg Roman) with a bigger arm. Three years later he was, apparently, a bum. Sorry, it doesn't work like that. Players, especially quarterbacks, are a product of their environment. Between Harbaugh's meltdown, Tomsula and Kelly, the 49ers' climate was a toxic wasteland. Tom Brady would have been a bum in that situation.
Kaepernick should be given a shot with a team like the Bills, Ravens, Jaguars, Titans, Chargers, Eagles, Bears, Cardinals and Seahawks, where his skills would more be aligned with the starter — athletes first with room to grow as quarterbacks. Sure, Jarrett Stidham is probably in that group, but this Patriots team is not rebuilding. They are built to compete — maybe not at a Super Bowl level, but certainly for another division title and a playoff victory — right now.
If the Patriots are going to bring in another quarterback, possibly to lift the team should plans 1A and 1B (Brian Hoyer) not work out, then it should absolutely be Newton and not Kaepernick.
We've previously made the argument (mostly) for Newton. As opposed to someone who hasn't taken a snap in four years, it's as clear as day:
- Newton won't give two flying footballs about following Tom Brady;
- Newton has a very good record against the Patriots, the AFC East (7-1, 14 TDs/3 INTs), AFC North and the Chiefs;
- This Belichick quote about Newton sounds like he's describing the perfect QB for the 2020 Patriots: "They’ve been playing from ahead a lot this year and I think that, again, for a quarterback managing the game, getting the win for the team, doing the right thing in the right situation is a lot more important than individual stats. I think he’s done a good job of that for his team, making good decisions, doing things that help the team win. He’s avoided mistakes that put the team in difficult situations so I think he’s playing very well, as is the rest of his offensive team."
- Before a shoulder injury in 2018 sent him into a spiral (an ankle wiped out '19), Newton was playing the best football of his career. From FootballOutsiders.com: "Before the shoulder injury sapped him of his arm strength, Newton’s 13.2% passing DVOA would have been comfortably the best of his career. His previous best, 7.6%, was enough for him to win the league MVP as the Panthers reached the Super Bowl. The four games from Weeks 6-9, in which he averaged 51.2% DVOA, was the third-best passing stretch of Newton’s professional career, comparable to any four-game slice from that MVP campaign."
