New England Patriots: 5 Free agents to sign before training camp
5. Colin Kaepernick
For the first time since 2000, New England won’t be led by Tom Brady under center leading the Patriots offense. With a new quarterback set to take over on the offensive side of the ball, new England has multiple options as to who it will throw in as a starter in 2020.
While holding quarterbacks on the roster currently such as second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham and veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer who could very well be inserted into the starting role at the position this year, the Patriots could also possibly look on the free agent market to throw another quarterback into the mix of the competition.
With questions surrounding if Stidham or Hoyer could end up leading New England at quarterback both this season and beyond, Bill Belichick and company could lean towards free agency for a player to take over under center.
One player that immediately comes to mind is former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, whose name has picked up some steam around the NFL in the last few weeks of the offseason.
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.
Kaepernick could be a good match for the Patriots and could maybe even be something worth taking a flier on. In his last season in the NFL in 2016, the quarterback 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.
Kaepernick likely wouldn’t be as mobile as he once was and there’s no telling if he will be able to pick up where he left off in San Francisco, but the addition of the quarterback could at least help boost the quarterback room and spark the quarterback competition early on in 2020.