Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick will work out for all 32 teams on Saturday in Atlanta in what's essentially a pro day organized by the NFL, according to ESPN NFL insider, Adam Schefter.
Kaepernick, 32, hasn't appeared in an NFL game since 2016 when he started 12 games for the 49ers and finished with a 1-11 record. His controversial social and political opinions became a lightning rod for debate as well as the presumed explanation for his inability to land with a team over the last three seasons.
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Kaepernick said on Twitter that he's been preparing this opportunity.
"I’m just getting word from my representatives that the NFL league office reached out to them about a workout in Atlanta on Saturday," Kapernick tweeted on Tuesday. "I’ve been in shape and ready for this for 3 years, can’t wait to see the head coaches and GMs on Saturday."
The Chicago Bears are in midst of what feels like the last lap in the evaluation process of Mitch Trubisky, who after 34 starts and more than 1,000 passes as a pro still hasn't reached the expectations that come along with being selected with the second overall pick in the first round. His status as the team's starter for 2020 will likely be decided over the final seven games of 2019, and even if he posts respectable numbers to finish the season, the Bears are likely to at least add competition at the position this offseason.
Naturally, that begs the question: Should GM Ryan Pace consider Kaepernick as a potential solution to the quarterback dilemma in Chicago?
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First, let's address the elephant in the room. This isn't about Kaepernick's politics or views on social justice. It's about football. For some Bears fans, his off-the-field opinions will render him untouchable. For others, it won't matter. And that's the beauty of the United States; neither opinion is right or wrong. It's a complicated situation that has many layers and no one article or tweet or facebook post will offer a reasonable solution. That's why Twitter is great; head over there if you want to debate that stuff.
For now, let's just focus on football.
Kaepernick, in a way, would make a ton of sense for the Bears. If Pace isn't ready to bail on Trubisky just yet, adding Kaepernick would allow the team to continue rolling Trubisky out as the starter for the rest of this season as well as into the offseason program. After being away from the game for three seasons, it's going to take time for Kaepernick to get back up to speed. He won't pose a real threat to Trubisky until probably midway through 2020, if at all, but his presence on the roster will at least send a message to the team that it's no longer Trubisky or bust.
And that message wouldn't be smoke and mirrors, either. Kaepernick would provide the Bears with a viable option to replace Trubisky early next season if he continues to fail. There's no denying Kaepernick offers more upside than Chase Daniel as a potential in-season replacement for Trubisky, and the soonest he'd be ready to make that jump is probably right around the same time that the Bears would be ready to officially pull the plug on their former first-rounder.
Also, Kaepernick will cost pennies on the dollar compared to the other quarterbacks likely to be available this offseason. Even players like Titans backup-turned-starter Ryan Tannehill are setting up to cash-in this winter and while Kaepernick certainly represents a greater risk of failure because of his time away from the game, the cost to find out whether he can still play won't be nearly as much as what it will take to invest in someone like Tannehill, Cam Newton, Teddy Bridgewater or Andy Dalton.
Kaepernick's last two seasons in the NFL weren't great (2015-16). He completed less than 60% of his passes and threw just 22 touchdowns in 19 starts. But when he was in the zone, he was one of the best playmakers at the position. He was 'Lamar Jackson' before Lamar Jackson, especially in San Francisco's 2012 playoff win over the Packers when he threw for 263 yards, ran for 181 and totaled four touchdowns. He was unstoppable, but that was also seven years ago.
Now in his early-30's, Kaepernick may not have the juice in his legs like he once did. And if that part of his game is gone, his erratic and inconsistent passing could just result in what the Bears are already getting out of Trubisky. And if you have two Trubisky-types on the roster, you probably don't have a quarterback.
That's why Saturday's workout is so important. Is he in shape? Does he still have that quick-twitch? If the answer is yes, he could be worth a flier, even if just to send a message to Trubisky.
Pace and the Bears should do their due diligence on Kaepernick, just like they should do their due diligence on every quarterback who will be available this offseason. At this rate, almost all of them will offer an opportunity to upgrade the position.
If Kaepernick proves he can make all the throws and still has the athletic ability to be a threat with his legs, a team will sign him. Whether or not that team will be the Bears is anyone's guess.