Minnesota Vikings: 5 Free agents to sign before training camp
5. Colin Kaepernick
Although this is a move that right now looks like unlikely to happen for the Minnesota Vikings, perhaps adding quarterback Colin Kaepernick to the quarterback room could boost a unit behind starter Kirk Cousins in 2020.
There are multiple ways Kaepernick could help Minnesota this season and perhaps for the next few years, both on the field and off.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
On the field, he would obviously be an intriguing back-up option to Cousins, a position that is currently held by Sean Mannion for what looks like a second straight year. Off the field, Kaepernick could help a community and state in the middle of recent racial injustice issues and the Vikings could make a statement in signing the veteran quarterback.
Recently, former NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart said he believes Minnesota could make a strong statement by signing Kaepernick, per CNN, adding it would obviously also allow the quarterback the opportunity to compete for a job on the roster.
In terms of his on-the-field play, it’s hard to tell exactly how fast Kaepernick would be able to get back into football form if he did indeed return to the field this season, having been out of the NFL since the end of the 2016 season. The former second-round draft pick who is set to turn 33 years old in November played for the 49ers in all six seasons of his professional career.
In his last season in the NFL in 2016, Kaepernick finished the year with 2,241 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions in 12 appearances. His career-best passing season came in 2014 when he threw for 3,369 yards and 19 touchdowns in all 16 games for San Francisco.
On the ground in his most recent year, Kaepernick once again displayed his ability to both air out the ball and take things over on the ground as well. He ran for 468 yards and two touchdowns on a total of 69 rush attempts. Much like his career-best passing season, Kaepernick’s best rushing season occurred in 2014 when he ran 104 times for 639 yards and one touchdown.
Although Kaepernick may not be quite as mobile as he once was, he also does carry playoff experience after having appeared in a Super Bowl with the 49ers. That could make him a valuable addition to the quarterback room in Minnesota as a backup, and could even possibly help the team and state both on the field and off in 2020.