By: Jake Rajala

The Las Vegas Raiders have officially undergone a workout with the former NFC Champion Colin Kaepernick. With that said, I’m going to untwine three reasons why Kap could be a quality fit for the Black and Silver.

Unique QB

I believe Josh McDaniels is staying creative in late May and he is simply interested in Kap because he is one of the best athletes in the FA pool. McDaniels could be in awe of the ability to use Kap as a “Taysom Hill-like QB” in the Raiders offense. Interestingly, the Pats were rumored to be potential suitors for Taysom Hill in the 2020 off-season. Kap could be an x-factor in the Raiders offense in pivotal AFC West clashes moving forward.

Potential QB2

Kap may offer immediate production as a gadget player in LV, but he could also be the pivotal back-up QB in the Raiders offense. After Marcus Mariota left for the Falcons, an empty chair was created in the QB2 spot for LV. The current QB2 is potentially Nick Mullens, who is 2-7 over his last nine starts (0-1 as a Brown and 2-6 as a 49er). The other QB2 competitor is Jarrett Stidham – and Stidham (2 TDs, 4 INTs) is far from a sexy option. Kap may be able to oust more plays than either potential QB2 with the Raiders weapons.

Low-risk acquisition

Kap would most likely sign a fairly cheap contract with the Raiders, so he wouldn’t be a risky signing. If he doesn’t impress in a Raiders uniform, they could cut ties with him at any point in a non-stressful manner. McDaniels worked with Tim Tebow in a prior training camp and he was able to move on from him without concern. If the Kaerpnick experiment doesn’t come to fruition, it wouldn’t essentially be a concern for the Raiders cap space.

The post 3 reasons why Colin Kaepernick could be a strong fit for the Raiders appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Carolina Panthers have been lobbying for a new, talented quarterback to join their squad this offseason. Matt Rhule clearly wasn’t able to acquire Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson. I expect CAR to not draft a QB early in the 2022 NFL draft. Nonetheless, they can still find a diamond in the rough in the free-agent QB pool.

Matter of fact, I believe there is one QB that would be a perfect fit for the Panthers: Colin Kaepernick.

Kap would essentially be an upgrade over Cam Newton in my mind. They both hold a similar skillset, but Kap is more explosive and he arguably has better arm talent right now. In 2016 (his last season in the league), he registered 16 passing touchdowns, 4 interceptions, and averaged 6.8 yards per attempt. He also showed his arm strength and arm ability on the run quite well at the Big House recently.

Meanwhile, Cam Newton threw 4 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, and unveiled a career-low 5.4 YPC last season. Newton might have familiarity and respect amid Panthers nation, but I believe Kap can really be more productive for the Panthers in 2022.

Kap is 34 years old, but he has fresh legs and he has kept in shape. Andy Dalton is 34 years old and he just signed a contract with the Saints. Furthermore, Matt Ryan is 36 years old and he could likely play five more seasons with the Colts. The dual-threat QB Michael Vick was a New York Jets at age 34, as well. I don’t believe that Kap is washed up right now and he could be a threat in the NFL for a couple more seasons. Interestingly, Kap can be dangerous as a rotational QB with his speed, too. If Sam Darnold is the best starting option in Week 1, Rhule can still find ways to get Kap (4.53 40 yard dash at the NFL combine) involved.

I also believe that Kap is the best free-agent QB option for the Panthers. Here is a closer look at the other free agent signal-callers:

Ryan Fitzpatrick

Blaine Gabbert

Geno Smith

A.J. McCarron

If the Panthers are seeking a versatile, cheaper free agent QB with the highest ceiling, they should ink Kap and give him the keys at QB1 or make sure he’s a vital piece of their puzzle as QB2.

The post Why the Panthers should really sign Colin Kaepernick appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Mikaela Mattes

On Tuesday, March 8th, it was announced that the Seattle Seahawks agreed to terms to trade their franchise and Super-Bowl winning QB Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. The details of the trade included the Seahawks sending QB Russell Wilson and a fourth round draft pick to the Broncos for QB Drew Lock, DL Shelby Harris, TE Noah Fant, two first-round picks, two second-round picks and a fifth-round pick.

It is officially the end of an era in Seattle, as the Seahawks no longer have any players remaining on their roster from their 2014 Super-Bowl championship-winning roster after also releasing eight-time all-pro and pro-bowl LB Bobby Wagner on the same day of Wilson’s trade to Denver.

Who will be the next starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks?

Potential Quarterback Options:

QB, Drew Lock

As it stands, QB Drew Lock is the only quarterback on the Seahawks roster, as backup QB Geno Smith is set to hit free agency on March 16th. However, it is well-known that the Seahawks front office are, “In on everything,” and are exploring their options at this position to create competition heading into the 2022 season. Drew Lock could be seen as a transition or backup QB as they try and find their next franchise quarterback (which as we know, could take years), but I do not see him as a long-term solution to this position.

Over Lock’s first three seasons with Denver, he played in 24 games, with a starting record of 8-13. Over those 24 games, Lock had 25 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. His touchdown to interception ratio is not going to cut it as a franchise quarterback and it will not lead the Seahawks to the playoffs without a very strong showing from the Seahawks defense.

QB, Deshaun Watson

On Friday, March 11th, a grand jury declined to indict Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson after a criminal investigation into 22 lawsuits filed by women who accused Watson of harassment and sexual assault. Within hours of this grand jury decision, rumors of the Seahawks being in serious pursuit of acquiring Watson emerged.

There is no doubt that Deshaun Watson is very talented and would immediately solve the issue of finding the next Seahawks franchise QB, however, I find major issues with the Seahawks going this route. I want to make it clear that although the grand jury declined to indict Watson on Friday for the allegations made against him based on a lack of incriminating evidence, that it does not mean Watson is innocent of the allegations made. He still faces civil lawsuits and is also being investigated by the NFL under its personal conduct policy. Trading for Watson would have massive implications for whatever team acquires him. It is clear that fans, media and players have varying opinions on whether Watson should be given a chance to start for any team, even when there is a high need for a new franchise quarterback like there is in Seattle.

Allegations aside, Watson would still be a large cap hit for the Seahawks to bring on the roster. *If* part of the reasoning for the Seahawks to move on from Wilson was that he was due a new contract after the 2023 season and that Wilson was wanting to get paid upwards to 50 million per year, then trading for Watson doesn’t put them in a much better place long-term cap wise. His cap hit for the 2022 season would be just over 40 million. For what the Texans are reportedly asking for Watson, the Seahawks would have to give up too much in potential draft capital and or quality players that remain on the roster and would be paying Watson a pretty penny over the next four years. I say look for a more affordable option and build a young and talented team on defense like they had in the Legion of Boom era and invest in a top tier offensive line for a young quarterback.

QB, Colin Kaepernick

On March 10th, just two days after news broke that Russell Wilson was being traded to the Broncos, Colin Kaepernick tweeted a video of himself working out on a football field, with the quote, “Still working.”

Back in 2017, the Seahawks brought Kaepernick in for a workout after he was blackballed from the NFL in 2016 for kneeling before games when the national anthem was playing to protest police brutality and social injustice. Just two years ago in 2020, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said that if Wilson ever got tangled up or couldn’t play anymore, that Kaepernick would be a great candidate to take over. Now that it has been six years since Kaepernick has been in the league, does Carroll feel the same way? I say it is worth bringing him in for a workout and see what he is capable of doing.

QB, Gardner Minshew

The Seahawks should strongly consider trading for backup Eagles quarterback, Gardner Minshew. Minshew’s win/loss record of 8-14 does not reflect his abilities to potentially be a highly effective starting quarterback. During his first two seasons, Minshew played for the Jacksonville Jaguars and found personal success on the field, but the team and franchise as a whole failed to win. After closely watching Minshew’s college career with the Washington State Cougars, and looking at Minshew’s stats over the past three years in the NFL, I think if he is partnered with the right coach and player personnel, he will thrive and be a winning quarterback in this league.

Minshew’s cap hit for the 2022 season is only 2.5 million and he is only 26 years old. If trading for Minshew allows the Seahawks to hold onto their higher draft capital and players, while keeping a low cap hit at QB for this season with the hit we will still take from Wilson’s contract, then they may find a diamond in the rough and a franchise QB moving forward that will allow them to invest more heavily at other positions of need.

Other option: Draft a Quarterback in the 2022 draft.

The Seahawks did receive the 9th overall pick in the 2022 draft from the Denver Broncos in their trade dealing Wilson. Will they use that 9th overall pick to draft a QB or will they go for another position of need, drafting the best available player? The Seahawks did draft, Russell Wilson, in the 2012 draft in the 3rd round at the 75th overall pick. Could they strike gold again by drafting a QB in the later rounds? The 2022 draft has been said not to be a good draft to get quarterbacks, but it has been rumored that the Seahawks are interested in Liberty University QB, Malik Willis.

Malik Willis is ascending and is expected to potentially be the first QB off the board during the 2022 draft. That being said, draft analysts say that the top tier of quarterbacks in the 2022 draft should be mid to late first round picks. With Willis ascending and the Seahawks in need of a QB, will they select him with their #9 overall pick, will they trade up for him, will they see if he falls, or will they invest in an established NFL quarterback to fill their starting role? Only time will tell.

The post Top QB options for the Seahawks after the Russell Wilson trade appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Andy Davies

The San Francisco 49ers are one of the most successful franchises in NFL history. Only the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers (both 6) have more Super Bowl wins than the 49ers (5). The 49ers’ five Super Bowls all came between the years of 1981 and 1994. They have lost two since, in the 2012 and 2019 seasons. The quarterbacks that led the 49ers to the Lombardi Trophy were Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Steve Young. Three of those five wins saw Montana as the starter and Young as the backup.

Young is seen by many as the best backup quarterback in history, considering the gold jacket that he earned despite many years as the backup to Montana. He would win a Super Bowl as the starter after the franchise moved on from Montana. Ever since Young decided to hang up his cleats, the 49ers have struggled to find his replacement. Have they found the guy in Trey Lance?

Perhaps, but here is why the quarterback situation involving Lance and current starter Jimmy Garoppolo could prevent the 49ers from winning the NFC West during the 2021 season.

Struggles Since Young

Jeff Garcia was the man to come in for Young. During his five seasons in the Bay, he threw for 113 touchdowns and 56 interceptions as well as 16,408 passing yards. He had a 35-36 record as a starter for the 49ers in the regular season and a 1-2 record in the postseason, meaning he never hit the heights of his predecessor.

Alex Smith was the number one overall pick in 2005, shattering Aaron Rodgers’ dreams. However, he was a good quarterback, not a great quarterback. Colin Kaepernick replaced Smith and took the 49ers to the Super Bowl. They ended up losing to the Baltimore Ravens in a game often called the ”˜Blackout Bowl’. Kaepernick failed to live up to the standards he set that season.

He would be kicked out of the league for taking the knee in a protest against police brutality in 2016. He has not played a snap in the NFL since. Jimmy Garoppolo was traded from the Patriots to the 49ers midway through the 2017 season. He gave hope to the organization after winning all five of the games he started in 2017. The fanbase had hope going into the 2018 season.

Many non-49ers fans had San Francisco down as their dark horse for the season. A season-ending injury to Garoppolo in Week 3 saw the starting role shared between Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard. However, the 49ers finished 4-12 as they went into 2019 with the second overall pick. Nick Bosa was selected and transformed the defense of San Francisco and Jimmy G had the best season of his career. He threw for 3,978 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Despite these stats, Garoppolo saw his production limited in the NFC Championship game as the coaching staff decided to use more of their running game. This led to many questions leading to the Super Bowl. The 49ers threw away a ten-point lead in the fourth quarter as they would end up losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 54.

Garoppolo was criticized heavily for an overthrown pass to Emmanuel Sanders that would have given San Francisco back the lead. His 2020 season saw a mixture of poor form and injury. During the 2021 offseason, the 49ers traded up with the Miami Dolphins to gain the number three overall pick. They took Lance with the pick, showcasing their intentions to eventually move off from Garoppolo. There is now talk of whether San Francisco and head coach Kyle Shanahan will start Lance in week one. The other scenarios discussed are either Lance coming in mid-season or sitting out the whole campaign as the backup to Garoppolo. The uncertainty will have a significant impact on the 49ers’ season.

The Strength of the NFC West

This is a problem that will affect all four teams in the best division in the NFL. There is a chance that all four teams can make the playoffs. Los Angeles has an exciting new quarterback in 2009 first overall pick Matthew Stafford. Both the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals have quarterbacks in Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray that they would never dream of trading away. Meanwhile, the 49ers’ starting quarterback is largely unpopular by fans, due to a mixture of the overthrown pass in the Super Bowl, his poor 2020 campaign and his injury record.

San Francisco has the least trusted quarterback in the division. With the position being one of the most crucial in all sports, it does not bode well for a team when there is uncertainty in the position. Garoppolo may be benched at some point during the season for Lance. However, the 49ers would be putting a rookie that will still be learning the system into the toughest division in the NFL.

Learning From Mahomes, Jackson, Tua and Burrow

If San Francisco are to help Lance succeed, they will need to take some lessons from recent draft classes. Patrick Mahomes, widely seen as the best quarterback in the league, spent all but one game of his 2017 rookie season as a backup to Alex Smith. The Chiefs then traded Smith the following offseason and Mahomes has never looked back. In his first three full seasons as a starter in the NFL, he has reached two Super Bowls, winning one. He has also been crowned MVP and Super Bowl MVP and reached three successive AFC Championship games. All three have been at home. On the flip side, 2020 first overall pick Joe Burrow started in week one of his rookie year. He wouldn’t last the season, only playing ten games before injury curtailed his first NFL campaign. He was impressive before his injury but there are no guarantees he will be the same player when he returns.

Lamar Jackson was a backup to Joe Flacco during his 2018 rookie year but won the starting role midseason. He has since gone on to win an MVP award and is the future of the franchise. Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins brought Tua Tagovailoa in mid-season but he struggled in his rookie season. He is seen to already be on the hot seat, with many feeling the Dolphins rushed him in. These examples all show there are reasons for the 49ers to be hasty when it comes to choosing when to bring Lance into the starting role.

Lance Or Garoppolo In 2021?

The 49ers will have to decide soon who their starter will be in 2021. Considering Lance has only played one full season (2019), he is likely to start the season as the backup. He only threw for a combined total of 31 passing attempts, two touchdowns and 1 interception across the 2018 and 2020 seasons, albeit the latter campaign being disrupted by the pandemic. He is likely to be a work in progress but his 28 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in 2019 mean that he is one for the future.

Garoppolo will likely start in week one but it was clear from the NFC Championship game that Shanahan doesn’t completely trust him.

Jimmy G is a capable quarterback but his health is a concern. Expect Garoppolo to remain as the starter provided the 49ers are winning games but for Lance to come in should Garoppolo either be injured or start the season poorly.

Should this happen, this will be the end of Garoppolo’s time in San Francisco. Depending on timing, he will then be traded either before the deadline or in the 2022 offseason.

Can The 49ers Returning Players Avoid A Repeat Of 2020?

This is key if the 49ers are to challenge for both the NFC West and the NFC. After earning the number one seed and reaching Super Bowl 54 during the 2019 campaign, San Francisco finished 6-10 in 2020 and bottom of the division. A ”˜Super Bowl Hangover’ played its part but the main cause of such a decline was down to a colossal amount of injuries the team suffered. Along with the aforementioned Garoppolo, the 49ers also saw Bosa, Dee Ford, George Kittle, Raheem Mostert, Deebo Samuel and Solomon Thomas miss large chunks of the 2020 season due to injury.

San Francisco had 33 players reported questionable and there were 186 occasions when the 49ers reported a player on injured reserve. They had the second-most injuries of any team in the NFL over the past twenty years. Should all these players come back, then this 49ers roster will be one of the best in the league. This will make life much easier for whoever the San Francisco starting quarterback is.

However, from the strength of the division to the uncertainty at quarterback, San Francisco will find it tough to win the NFC West.

The post Why the QB situation may prevent the 49ers from winning the NFC West appeared first on Pro Football Mania.