On the heels of Roger Goodell encouraging teams to sign Colin Kaepernick, the football world has begun debating where might be the best landing spot for the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback.
Nick Wright, for one, likes the idea of Kaepernick joining the reigning Super Bowl champions.
The Chiefs, of course, are as set as can be at starting quarterback, but they’d be in a world of hurt in the event Patrick Mahomes went down. Chad Henne turns 35 in early July, and he’s only appeared in five games since 2016. Kansas City knows full well the importance of having a serviceable backup QB, as the recently retired Matt Moore kept the Chiefs above water last season when Mahomes sustained a knee injury.
For this reason and more, Wright believes KC should pursue Kaepernick.
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“The list of reasons why it makes sense, in brief: one, there would never be a quarterback controversy,” Wright said Thursday on FS1’s “First Things First.” “They have the best quarterback in football there. They need a competent backup quarterback. Last year, the Chiefs do not win the Super Bowl if they don’t have a competent backup. …You can say Kaep’s rusty. Chad Henne seems pretty rusty to me as well.
“The last reason I would say it’s a perfect fit for Kansas City is think about who the head coach is. Think about the last former star quarterback who had a long time away from football, Michael Vick. Now, our friend Michael had to be away from football unfortunately for far more nefarious reasons than Kaep, but the delay was about the same. Andy Reid takes him under his wing and after a year of being a backup in the system, he had a spectacular season three years removed from his last year in Atlanta. So it’s not only that I think the door is, for the first time in forever, slightly ajar to Kaep being signed, I think the Chiefs should do it.”
In addition to the points Wright made, Kaepernick’s playing style is familiar similar to Mahomes’, which seemingly would make for an easier transition if the former was called to action. So while other teams like the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars have been suggested as potential fits for Kaepernick, Wright might be correct in identifying Kansas City as the ideal destination for the veteran signal-caller.
