The idea of Colin Kaepernick coming back to the NFL isn’t far off the mind of many football fans.
For ESPN personality Max Kellerman, there’s no better destination for him than New York with the Giants.
On First Take Monday morning, Kellerman implored the Giants to sign the embattled quarterback — who has not appeared in an NFL game since 2016 — citing that New York’s offense needs a “dynamic” and “starting-caliber” arm to lead a unit that boasts explosive talents like wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and rookie running back Saquon Barkley.
The Giants offense has been sputtering and misfiring for the better part of three years now under veteran quarterback Eli Manning. Sunday’s 33-31 Week 5 loss to the Carolina Panthers was the first time since December 2015 that team scored 30 or more points.
While much of the problems stem from a shoddy offensive line, it’s becoming more and more clear that the 37-year-old Manning is slowing down drastically. When he’s not running for his life — and one has to use the term “run” loosely given his lack of agility — Manning has been prone to missing some wide-open receivers and throwing some questionably bad interceptions. Manning was picked off twice in two-consecutive possessions in the third quarter against the Panthers as the Giants were attempting to erase a 17-3 deficit.
As Manning’s football mortality becomes a hot topic, the Giants haven’t done much to find a successor. They opted to choose Barkley with the No. 2 pick of the 2018 draft instead of going with a quarterback prospect like Sam Darnold, Josh Allen or Josh Rosen.
It’s obviously too early to tell if that was the right decision, but Barkley has been a revelation for the offense, becoming just the third player in NFL history to record 100 or more yards from scrimmage in each of the first five games of his career. So it’s unnecessary and unfair to get on the Giants for drafting such a premier talent.
Sitting at 1-4, the Giants are already poised to get a high draft pick come 2019, but will likely do everything they can to nab Oregon’s Justin Herbert; the only likely first-round-caliber quarterback available next year.
But what should happen if there’s no chance of drafting a possible franchise quarterback?
Should the Giants go after Colin Kaepernick?
There is a multitude of reasons why the Giants should not go after Kaepernick.
First comes the distractions that come with his presence. Kaepernick sparked the movement that has seen countless athletes kneel during the national anthem as a protest to how police treat people of color in the United States. His actions have divided the public, the league and even the government as he’s certainly prompted a conversation of change.
A squeaky clean organization like the Giants though might not want to take the risk of accruing bad press or upsetting a portion of its fanbase.
Then comes Kaepernick’s performance on the field.
After leading the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance in 2013, Kaepernick was one of the most explosive dual-threat quarterbacks in the game. But injuries and an eventual benching slowed him down as he went 3-16 in his final 19 starts.
Still, this is a quarterback that brings athleticism to the position and takes care of the ball. He’s thrown for 72 touchdowns compared to just 30 interceptions in 69 career games to go with an additional 13 rushing touchdowns.
