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The name Colin Kaepernick, for the better part of the past five years, was seldom mentioned in NFL circles. Having watched his career fall by the wayside due to his refusal to stand for the National Anthem and lending a voice to the voiceless surronding police brutality against African Americans, Kaepernick was essentially ushered out of the league.
Now, nearly five years later, it appears as though he could be given a second chance. Seemingly out of nowhere, the Las Vegas Raiders threw Kaepernick a lifeline of sorts, as they recently conducted a formal workout.
By all accounts, Kaepernick was terrific. But does that mean the Raiders' will offer him a contract? As we continue to wait, Kaepernick's name is gaining serious buzz. If the Raiders aren't careful, they could lose out on what appears to be a great player. Here are three reasons why the Raiders should move quickly and snag Kaepernick off the free agency market before it's too late.
Who was there before?
For the past two seasons, Marcus Mariota was used as Derek Carr's primary back-up quarterback. By and large, Mariota and Carr are two completely different quarterbacks.
Although Mariota was lauded for his accuracy in college, having completed 68% of his passes in two of his three seasons in Oregon, Mariota hasn’t shown the same pinpoint accuracy in the pros. With a completion percentage of 62.8%, Mariota is better known for his ability to escape oncoming rushers.
On the field of play, there’s nothing that Mariota can do that Colin Kaepernick can’t. Of course, with Kap turning 35 years old in November, questions surrounding how much he has left in the tank are legitimate. Still, having been on the sidelines since 2016, Kap hasn’t been forced to endure arduous training camps and take unnecessary lethal blows. Meaning, he should be fresh and ready to go.
Who’s their current back up?
Marcus Mariota was a serviceable back up for the Las Vegas Raiders for the past two seasons. He may have failed as an elite-level, franchise-altering quarterback but as a back up, he was arguably the league’s best.
For Mariota, the goal was never to remain as a back up. If the opportunity presented itself elsewhere to compete for the starting job, he would gladly take it. In the case of the Atlanta Falcons, they recently extended an olive branch to Mariota to do just that, compete for a starting role.
Now that Mariota is currently slinging the football down in Atlanta, there is a gaping and noticeable hole for the Raiders and their back-up QB position. Presently, if the season started today, the franchise will be crossing its fingers in the hopes that Derek Carr remains healthy for the entire year. If he doesn’t, the Raiders will have to rely on Nick Mullens and Jarrett Stidham. With Colin Kaepernick drawing some buzz with his recent workout, let’s check the numbers between all three to see who’s been the better QB throughout the course of their careers.
- Nick Mullens: 4,861 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, 22 intereptions
- Jarrett Stidham: 270 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 4 interceptions
- Colin Kaepernick: 12,271 passing yards, 72 touchdowns, 30 interceptions
After taking a peek for yourself, do we really need to explain why Kaepernick would be a great fit on the Raiders? In actuality, it doesn’t quite matter if he’s a great fit or not, he’s still a much better back-up QB option than Mullens and Stidham.
Change of pace
Derek Carr is, somewhat, of a dying quarterback breed. Seldom does Carr venture out of the pocket in an attempt to pick up huge chunk yards with his legs. His best season in that regard came in 2020 when Carr rushed for 140 yards.
While Carr isn’t as mobile as many of his QB contemporaries, he’s developed into one of the more accurate signal-callers in the entire league. Last season, Carr completed 68.4% of his passes. Two seasons prior, Carr connected on 70.4% of his passes.
Colin Kaepernick, the current free-agent quarterback they are currently pondering over, is a completely different QB. When last seen on the field, from 2011 to 2016, Kaepernick was a solid passer, putting together two seasons in which he threw for over 3,000 passing yards. His accuracy leaves a bit to be desired, having completed just 59.8% of his passes down the field throughout his career.
Where Kaepernick would usually separate himself is with his legs. With over 400 rushing yards in four of his six seasons, Kaepernick once had the sort of speed and physicality to shrug defenders off him and pick up huge yards.
Preparing for Carr is one thing, but if he were forced to miss an extended amount of time, prepping your ball club for a player who’s a threat with both his arms and legs would be a nightmare for the defense, especially on short notice.
