Would the Denver Broncos Pursue Colin Kaepernick?
This is somewhat wild speculation at this point, but imagine that a few things fall into place after the 2015 season. Peyton Manning, as has been speculated, decides to retire. The Denver Broncos have not seen enough from Brock Osweiler and he wants a big contract, so they let him go in free agency. They now have a significant void at quarterback, with just late-round picks still in the system.
There’s been talk that they may chase another quarterback. Though Broncos fans may hate it, Philip Rivers‘ name has come up. But what if they instead decided to go after San Francisco’s quarterback, Colin Kaepernick?
Don’t spit your coffee out on the keyboard just yet.
Consider Gary Kubiak’s system. He needs a quarterback who can move when they run a play fake and the quarterback rolls back the opposite way. John Elway did this plenty of times, and it can create a lot of space. As the defense shifts, it opens up long passes to the tight end down the seam and the wideout running a stick route on the outside.
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The second thing Kubiak needs is a guy with a big arm. Those deep throws, coming after the rollout, require serious power. Elway had a huge arm, which is why he was so perfect for it.
Finally, a somewhat mobile quarterback can’t hurt. Elway ran more than people give him credit for now. One of his most famous plays of all time is the scramble and dive against Green Bay, in the first Super Bowl, and that was when he was old.
Kubiak doesn’t want a guy who runs first, but being able to run is great.
In a lot of ways, Kaepernick looks like a good fit. He’s mobile. He can play fake and move the pocket. He can run at times. He has a huge arm—remember, he’s also a pitcher with a cannon who got drafted by the Cubs. He can make those deep throws.
Plus, Kaepernick had a down year last year and he’s about to have another one. The 49ers are a mess, from the coaching staff to the roster. They lost a ton of talent, much of it to retirement, and they’re not going to come close to winning that division. It’s very likely they finish dead last—the Seahawks will be one of the NFL’s best, the Cardinals will be a serious threat with Carson Palmer back, and the Rams are on the rise.
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If the 49ers tank the season, they may look to rebuild, and that could mean getting rid of a relatively pricy quarterback. If the Broncos are searching for one, it’s not out of the question that the two sides would find each other.
The Denver Broncos did like Kaepernick in the weeks before the draft. They evaluated him, brought him in and talked to him. Eventually, they ended up sending a second-round pick to the 49ers, which the Niners then used to select their quarterback of the future. If they move on from him, the Broncos could step back into the mix.