Are Panthers, Patriots Good Fits for Colin Kaepernick? Is Another NFL Team? (Full Article)

From Nate Davis of USA TODAY Sports

With a collusion grievance against the league now settled, is an NFL return imminent for Colin Kaepernick?

The former 49ers quarterback's attorney, Mark Geragos, told CNN's Ana Cabrera recently that he believed Carolina and New England were among three teams he believed might be in the market to sign his client "within the next two weeks." (Geragos made only a vague reference to a third potential suitor.)

"(T)he natural would be if Cam Newton is out, then the natural place to be is to play with Eric (Reid) in Carolina. I mean can you imagine? And you’ve got an owner there," Geragos explained, a reference to David Tepper, the Panthers' progressive new boss who greenlit the signing and subsequent extension of Reid, the safety who played with Kaepernick in San Francisco and also settled his own collusion grievance against the NFL.


"I will tell you besides the Panthers, it would not surprise me if (Patriots owner) Bob Kraft makes a move."

Geragos added of Kaepernick, 31: "He absolutely wants to play. He wants to compete at the highest level. I mean this is a competitive young man. ... This is someone who’s in his prime. You get smarter at that position, and he’s wise beyond his years."

But would the Panthers or Patriots be "wise" landing spots for Kaepernick if either team comes calling? Let's examine ...

Does Kaepernick fit in Carolina?

Definitively, yes.

Kap's game pretty closely mirrors that of Newton, the Panthers' starter for eight years  — plus arm strength, extends plays, great athleticism on the move, capably limits turnovers ... but also not especially accurate, particularly on touch throws.

Kaepernick (6-4, 230) isn't as sturdily built as the 6-5, 245-pound Newton — it's probably safe to assume he's lighter than his listed playing weight while Newton appears even heavier. But Kap also doesn't invite the kind of punishment as the 2015 league MVP, who just underwent shoulder surgery, when he tucks the ball and runs or tries to barrel over the line on sneaks. Like Seattle's Russell Wilson, Kaepernick excels at gaining maximum yardage with his legs while knowing when to get down or out of bounds.

Bottom line: The skill sets are similar enough that Carolina probably wouldn't experience much drop-off (or have to drastically redesign the offense or alter play calling) if Kaepernick were to replace Newton. And to suggest Taylor Heinicke or Kyle Allen are better options is simply silly.

Does Kaepernick fit in New England?

Meh. Maybe.

Let's not discount that he could bring a new dimension to this attack — perhaps even running point on certain packages the way Taysom Hill does in New Orleans. And if anyone knows how to leverage a given player's talents — and Kaepernick presumably still has plenty of it — it's Bill Belichick.

But in that same vein, it never seems like a particularly good idea when the Saints effectively take the ball out of Drew Brees' hands. And though no one would suggest that Tom Brady's current backup, veteran Brian Hoyer, has Kaepernick's upside, he's also infinitely more familiar with the playbook and wouldn't require New England to reconfigure its attack on the fly if Brady went down.

Accuracy and efficiently cycling through his progressions are Brady's bread and butter, yet have never been Kaepernick's strengths. Maybe he could get there under the tutelage of Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, but this could also be a square peg, round hole situation.

Does Kaepernick fit in ...
There are other patently obvious teams that could immediately benefit from Kap's services.

Baltimore Ravens: Joe Flacco's moving to Denver, and Robert Griffin III is unsigned. The franchise has flirted with Kaepernick in the past, and he'd seem to plug in nicely to what's being built around Lamar Jackson.

Houston Texans: Deceased owner Bob McNair probably would not have signed off, but they could obviously do much better than Brandon Weeden, Joe Webb et. al. — reference the lost 2017 season — if Deshaun Watson goes down again.

Jacksonville Jaguars: No explanation required.

Miami Dolphins: They're rebooting, and Ryan Tannehill's future with the franchise seems tenuous at best.

New Orleans Saints: Teddy Bridgewater is headed for free agency, and Kaepernick is almost surely a better option behind Brees (and how much time does he have left?) on a regular basis than Hill.

Oakland Raiders: A little competition for Derek Carr wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, and it would be interesting to see what Jon Gruden's offense would look like with a player like Kaepernick at the controls.

Philadelphia Eagles: Perhaps the ideal locker room fit, and a roster that's about to need a new Plan B behind oft-injured Carson Wentz.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston is the only experienced quarterback they have under contract for 2019, and he's not signed for 2020. Be nice to have a capable reserve if new coach Bruce Arians ultimately concludes Winston is not the answer he's banking on.

Tennessee Titans: Marcus Mariota always seems to be banged up. And we saw what happened in Week 17 with their playoff aspirations riding on Blaine Gabbert.

Washington Redskins: The need is obvious given Alex Smith's uncertain outlook. Of course, that was also painfully apparent in the final two months of 2018 ... when Washington threw away its playoff hopes by employing much less capable backups.