When Jaxson Dart, the quarterback for the New York Giants, went down with a significant knee injury on Monday night, it was only a matter of time before someone in sports media suggested that the Giants consider signing Colin Kaepernick. It happens every time a team loses their starting quarterback. The real question was who would be the first to make that call. Potential candidates included a range of personalities like Jemele Hill, Dan Le Batard, Mike Florio, Mina Kimes, Stephen A. Smith, Mark Jones, and Bomani Jones.
It turns out, Mike Florio made the suggestion first. On Wednesday, he proposed that the Giants should bring in Kaepernick, given their urgent need for a quarterback. He pointed out that the team, with Jake Haener and Brandon Allen as their most reliable backups behind new starter Jameis Winston, could really use a veteran’s perspective. “Why not bring Kaepernick in for a look?” Florio wrote.
He argued that Kaepernick would fit well into the Giants’ system, citing the familiarity Kaepernick shares with the coaching staff, specifically Greg Roman, who was with him during his early years in San Francisco. It could, in theory, be easy to adapt the offense to utilize Kaepernick’s skills if he still had them from when he last played.
Florio did acknowledge, though, that Kaepernick might not shine in a workout, but he concluded that “there’s no reason not to give it a whirl.”
This is where we draw the line. There are several reasons not to pursue Kaepernick, as Florio put it. For starters, it would be a fruitless endeavor. It’s already Week 3, and the Giants lost Dart for the season. Jameis Winston didn’t look good against the Rams, and the team simply doesn’t have the luxury to explore a signing that’s primarily for show or PR.
Let’s be clear: Kaepernick hasn’t played professional football in ten years. The last time he was on the field, in 2016, he had a QBR of 49.2 and served as a backup. Now, approaching 39 years old, he’s likely rusty. I mean, can anyone really take a decade off and expect to compete at such a high level? Despite claims of regular training, there’s nothing that substitutes for actual game time.
Moreover, Florio’s argument about “no harm, no foul” could apply to any other quarterback the Giants consider, especially those with more recent experience than Kaepernick.
There’s also the reality that trying out Kaepernick would create an overwhelming media storm filled with scrutiny and controversy. Florio himself noted that head coach Jim Harbaugh had thought about Kaepernick back in 2017. This isn’t just about giving him a chance; you know those calling for his signing would swiftly criticize any organization that doesn’t make him the starter. It’s a lose-lose situation.
As we’ve discussed before, Kaepernick isn’t being kept out of the NFL because teams are overlooking his potential as a hidden gem. Instead, the cons of signing him outweigh any possible benefits. Would he truly offer enough on the field to justify the attention that would inevitably follow? Signing him would shift the Giants into a spotlight that’s not just about sports but would also invade broader news cycles. That was true back in 2017, and things have intensified since then.
Honestly, one has to wonder about Florio’s motivations here. Is he trying to appease a particular audience, or is there something more at play? Perhaps he’s caught up in the moment, trying to make up for past stances by championing a popular figure among certain circles. Whatever the case, his argument for the Giants to give Kaepernick a shot feels off. It undermines his credibility and suggests he’s merely seeking attention without considering the broader ramifications.
