Jacksonville Jaguars need to sign Colin Kaepernick

With quarterback still an issue for the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team should look to Colin Kaepernick.

The Jacksonville Jaguars need to make a change at quarterback. After a solid 2015, Blake Bortles has continued to regress. It’s officially reached a point where Jacksonville rolling Bortles out there is a disservice to the fans and veterans on the team. Simply put, the Jaguars aren’t going to do much of anything with Bortles under center. He’s a complete liability throwing the ball, and has displayed zero signs of improvement from his disastrous 2016.

I don’t think Jacksonville would be able to swing a trade. Unless the team tries to poach a low-level, backup-caliber player, it’s hard to imagine a team giving up a quarterback in a league that lacks premiere players at that position. Basically, it would be very hard for Jacksonville to trade for a solid quarterback. However, there are names on the free-agent market.

The most enticing name on the open market is Colin Kaepernick. Of course, Kaepernick’s unemployment has been a highly covered, highly controversial topic. If you have zero idea why some speculate Kaepernick remains unsigned, here’s the short: Kaepernick opted to kneel during the national anthem, which drew the ire of many people.

Other players have done similar things, but Kaepernick’s initial actions made him the poster-boy for controversy. Kaepernick remains unsigned, despite having more ability than more than a few starters.

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Kaepernick fizzled out in San Francisco, but that’s not entirely his fault. The Jim Harbaugh era ended quickly in the Bay Area, and the overall team surrounding Kaepernick was lacking. He was like the captain of the Titanic during his final years with the 49ers. Last year, Kaepernick posted respectable (albeit somewhat misleading) statistics.

It’s worth asking whether Kaepernick would be an improvement over Jacksonville’s current quarterback situation. The answer? Yes. Absolutely he would be.

He’s not a perfect quarterback, but there’s little doubt he could give the Jaguars more than they’re getting with Bortles or Henne. In terms of passer rating and completion rate, Kaepernick’s 2016 totals (90.7 and 59.2 percent) are better than any year of Bortles’ career. And while Kaepernick isn’t going to be the NFL’s most accurate passer, he can do the one thing Bortles cannot: limit turnovers.

The most interceptions Kaepernick has ever thrown in a season is 10. Kaepernick has 30 career interceptions in six seasons. Bortles has 53 in three seasons and two games. It’s really telling that Kaepernick manufactured a better 2016 than Bortles, despite playing on an offense with significantly less talent.

The seeds have already been planted for a potential Kaepernick-Jacksonville marriage, too. According to ESPN’s Michael DiRocco, Jacksonville took a look at Kaepernick during the offseason, before ultimately electing to pass. It’s entirely possible at that time, Jacksonville still felt it could salvage a season with Bortles.

Political activism aside, there’s little argument to be made that Kaepernick would be a downgrade from Bortles. Kaepernick’s athletic ability allows him to make plays as a runner. He doesn’t require mastery of the playbook. If the Jaguars wanted to, they could completely simplify the playbook and gameplan around Kaepernick’s strengths.

Kaepernick played his best when he was on a team with a good defense, and a strong running game. Jacksonville possesses both of those facets.

At the least, Kaepernick’s arrival would make the Jaguars more than a one-dimensional team. Right now, it’s run or bust for the Jaguars. Opponents can essentially stack the box against Leonard Fournette, because they know Bortles can’t do much through the air. Kaepernick’s ability to run would give the Jaguars offense something other than Fournette.