gut;1877675 wrote:Hadn't thought of that. But safe to say, at this point, he might be happy with a 1-yr vet min deal (still make like $1M)?
I think the bigger issue was he supposedly was kind of a locker room cancer...didn't get along with coaches or teammates in SF, and then asked for a trade - TO or Randy Moss might get away with that but Kaep isn't close to being in their league.
And it ultimately even caught up with TO. He was out of the league before his talent had waned enough to justify it. He'd just developed too much of a reputation as an off-the-field problem child.
And Kaepernick isn't even CLOSE to the same level as TO, who could make a case as being the best combination of size and talent at the position (purely on talent, I think you've still gotta give it to Rice). He's going to have a MUCH shorter leash.
gut;1877899 wrote:Kaep would be a stop-gap, at best. A back-up in most places. Teams don't tolerate the baggage, in any sport, if the guy isn't a major contributor.
As for CLE (and other teams with a similar QB situation) - you don't bring in Kaep just because your young QB is struggling. Kaep is not the future, he's a stop-gap. Bringing him in would be about the worst thing you could do with a young QB. You've made an investment in that guy, and you're going to give him probably 3 years to prove himself.
Sure, on the surface it looks like collusion (even if that makes little sense) and you could argue he should be 2nd/3rd string on just about every team, and possibly starting for even a few teams. But the QB position is different. Teams are looking for stability, a long-term solution.
In a general sense, I think this is true. However, I do think there examples of exceptions that make this a less-than-universal truth for NFL teams.
Exhibit A: Ryan Fitzpatrick's career.
Make no mistake, I love Fitzpatrick's grit, but the man has basically made a career out of being a stop-gap, and yet teams continue to pick him up.
Having said that, I think Fitzpatrick > Kaepernick.