[genericon icon=twitter] Follow Sean Wagner-McGough on Twitter @seanjwagner
Now that Colin Kaepernick has landed the most guaranteed money in the history of the NFL, he now faces the pressure that comes attached to his $61 million. Criticism of the deal will be plentiful and with good reason. Quite frankly, there are an abundance of statistics that would seem to indicate that Kaepernick is not worth the money.
Kaepernick only attempted 416 passes last season, ranked 20th in the NFL. He also finished ranked 20th in passing yards. His 58.4 percent completion percentage was 31st in the league. He played the entire season, yet he only threw 21 touchdowns. This guy is getting paid $61 million.
Kaepernick is getting paid $61 million because he brings more to the table than just his passing game. I’m of the opinion that there is no better running quarterback in the league than Kaepernick. He finished this past season with 524 yards on the ground. In his past two seasons, he has 939 rushing yards. To say he’s fast is an understatement.
As Adam Schefter pointed out via Twitter, since Kaepernick’s first start in 2012, he has the third highest QBR in the league. Ahead of him? Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers. While QBR is by no means a perfect tool for measuring quarterbacks, it does offer a glimpse into Kaepernick’s success as both a runner and a passer, and not just as a passer. If you want more information regarding the validity of QBR, check out this article written by Chase Stuart.
There’s no doubt that Kaepernick needs to improve as a passer. But Kaepernick gives the Niners a dual-threat at the quarterback position. In other words, Kaepernick — along with Russell Wilson in Seattle and RGIII in Washington — is changing the way quarterbacks are viewed and utilized. If you’re a GM and manage to get your hands on a quarterback that is able to run the way Kaepernick does, you can afford to overlook shaky passing. Take another look at the touchdown run against Green Bay in the playoffs, this time from behind the play.
You can’t call that play with Peyton Manning behind center. Kaepernick gives the Niners the ability to score on plays like these. And for all of Kaepernick’s struggles throwing the ball, it’s not as if that has negatively impacted the Niners who have only gone to the Super Bowl and the NFC Championship game in the past two seasons. Additionally, despite his mediocre passing stats, Kaepernick still averaged 7.69 yards per passing attempt in 2013. That figure was the eighth best in the league last year.
$61 million is an insane amount of money, but Kaepernick gives the Niners the best chance to win. That is why he got paid and that’s why he’s worth it.
[genericon icon=twitter] Follow Sean Wagner-McGough on Twitter @seanjwagner
