The New York Jets are in desperate need of a quarterback, and there’s a good chance the San Francisco 49ers could move on from theirs this offseason. Does that set up a potential match?
Colin Kaepernick is entering the final year of his contract and will count a whopping $19.3 million against the salary cap if the Niners choose to keep him. They could free up $16.9 million in cap space by releasing the 29-year-old, so there is a widespread belief that they will do just that. With the 2017 NFL Draft class being thin at quarterback, the Jets could look to add someone like Kaepernick.
As Darryl Slater of NJ.com notes, new Jets offensive coordinator John Morton was the 49ers’ wide receivers coach from 2011-2014. He has a previous relationship with Kaepernick and was with the quarterback when he helped lead San Francisco to a Super Bowl in 2012. While Kaepernick’s production dipped dramatically after Morton left, injuries contributed to his struggles.
Kaepernick was actually decent in 2016 despite the 49ers being horrible. He threw 16 touchdown passes and only four interceptions, finishing with a passer rating of 90.7.
The 49ers have the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, so they could look to draft their quarterback of the future. The Jets may not be in position to get UNC’s Mitch Trubisky or Clemson’s Deshaun Watson at No. 6, and they appear ready to move on from both Ryan Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith. Plus, they don’t seem very high on the quarterback they drafted early last year.
After what Kaepernick said about the Niners recently, the team may decide a fresh start is needed. Could a fresh start for the 49ers lead to a fresh start for Kaepernick in The Big Apple? That will be one of many storylines to watch this winter.
