Palladino: Kaepernick Is In No Way The Right Fit For Jets
By Ernie Palladino
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Joe Namath wants him.
Brandon Marshall doesn't.
And the whole mini-debate over how, or even if, general manager Mike Maccagnan should pursue a trade for rehabbing San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick is beside the point, anyway.
The Jets have bigger fish to broil than the quarterback position, assuming that Maccagnan brings back the unrestricted Ryan Fitzpatrick once the free agent period starts March 9.
Even before Maccagnan restructures contracts and releases players to increase his current $9 million and change of salary cap space to accommodate the importation of outside talent, the need to bulk up the defensive side became ever more apparent over the weekend.
If Super Bowl 50 reinforced any ideology, it is that defense still wins championships. Swarming defense will shut down a franchise quarterback like Cam Newton. A disciplined, penetrating front seven, combined with a strong secondary, will shut down that dreadful read-option fad a growing number of coaches have so wrongly embraced.
The Jets simply won't need a quarterback like Kaepernick in 2016 if they re-sign Fitzpatrick. And, given his decline in play over the last few seasons, they won't need Kaepernick at all for the future.
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Futures are for franchise quarterbacks, and Kaepernick is not one of them. He's basically damaged goods at this point, having thrown just six touchdowns against nine interceptions in the nine games he played before shoulder, wrist, and knee issues curtailed his 2015 season.
Plus, word is his gifts lie more with his legs than his head. He's the opposite of everything Todd Bowles came to love about Fitzpatrick, a smart player whose decision-making -- yes, we know all about the last game against Buffalo -- made up for a lot of the 33-year-old's physical shortcomings. Fitzpatrick may be about as graceful as an elephant in situations that force him to run, but at least he has a better-than-even shot at making the right throw when he drops back.
Marshall was right when he proclaimed Fitzpatrick as his guy. Namath, the Jets' only true franchise quarterback, likes Kaepernick because he reminds Joe Willie of himself in so many ways. But Kaepernick is not the right guy for the organization.
For that, Maccagnan must wait for the draft. Not this one. Possibly a year from now, which is why Fitzpatrick remains the perfect fit for the Jets. He's a short-term solution until the big draft play comes around. And Cal's Jared Goff, projected as a solid down-the-line starter, and North Dakota State's Carson Wentz, a small-school kid with big-time potential, are not the quarterbacks for whom a franchise pushes aside a sure thing like Fitzpatrick.
Besides, it would take a huge package to move up from No. 20 into the top five to grab either quarterback. Too big for a team that will likely need an impact outside linebacker, defensive end, and tight end.
With Kaepernick due to make $11.9 million next season, the Jets would benefit more by re-signing Fitzpatrick and spending on defense. Granted, free-agent linebacker Von Miller isn't coming to either the Jets or Giants, as Denver is likely to slap a franchise tag on the Super Bowl MVP. But there could be some enticing trade possibilities along with some solid talent like Denver LB Danny Trevathan and DE Malik Jackson, or Minnesota LB Chad Greenway on the open market.
Kaepernick is not an answer, though. Like New England and Seattle the two previous years, the Broncos proved a team doesn't need a lights-out quarterback to win a Lombardi Trophy. They overrode a perfectly Trent Dilfer-like performance from Hall of Fame lock Peyton Manning to win the Super Bowl through defense.
The Jets can get by just fine with Fitzpatrick.
All due respect to Namath, the deified leader of the Jets' only Super Bowl team, San Francisco can keep Kaepernick.
Follow Ernie on Twitter at @ErniePalladino
