Colin Kaepernick May be a Good Option for the Bills This Offseason

The San Fransisco 49ers, according to recent NFL rumors, may be looking to part with Colin Kaepernick. The Buffalo Bills could take advantage of that.

The Buffalo Bills have some big things to address this coming offseason, and the quarterback situation is perhaps the largest.

While they could buckle down and move forward with Tyrod Taylor as their quarterback, it’s not clear whether or not he can be a strong starting quarterback moving forward, and with the Bills really looking to make a push towards the playoffs — according to ownership and new head coach Sean McDermott, anyway — Taylor may not be what they want for the price he will cost them.

Recent rumors pegged the San Fransisco 49ers as a possible suitor for Philip Rivers in a trade, which is one option the Bills should look at and at least inquire about. While it’s unlikely that Rivers would want to come to Buffalo, they’d be foolish to miss out on him, a player that could easily take their roster and make them a playoff team.

On the other hand, though, this rumor brings up another, possibly more realistic option for the Bills — Colin Kaepernick.

Kaepernick is expected to opt out of his current contract with the 49ers, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. That doesn’t mean that Kaep will for sure end up on another team, though. He could renegotiate a more lucrative deal with the 49ers, if they want him.

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But let’s say, for the sake of being hypothetical, the 49ers bring in a player like Philip Rivers. The Niners then would have no reason to pay big money to Colin Kaepernick, a player they would only use if Rivers got injured.

Kaepernick likely has two things on his job search list this offseason — a high paying job and a job that puts him in a position to be a starter and a leader. If the Buffalo Bills are willing to pay Kaepernick, he would likely be able to find both of those things in Buffalo.

As far as whether or not Kaepernick would be welcomed by fans, that’s another question. Kaepernick’s antics during the national anthem last year (he regularly sat or kneeled during the anthem to raise awareness for what he felt was an appropriate and relevant social movement) were looked at as being unpatriotic, despite the fact that Kaepernick regularly said he respected those who fought overseas.

On the field, though, Kaepernick could be a player to transform the Bills offense. He has proven to be a decent leader under center with a strong arm and a decent reading ability. Kaepernick has thrown for over 12,000 yards in six seasons in the NFL, and led the Niners to the Super Bowl in one season.

This last season, Kaepernick was not named as the Niners’ starter until week 6, but started most of the games for the team thereafter. He threw 16 touchdowns and 4 interceptions, with a completion percentage of 59.2 and a quarterback rating of 90.7.

Next: Does Philip Rivers fit as the Quarterback of the Bills?

It might be a bit of a stretch for the Bills to bring in Kaep, but they should be paying attention to rumors such as the Rivers one to see who might be on the market this offseason and latch onto any quarterback situations they might be interested in.