Longtime NFL writer Peter King, thinks the Buffalo Bills should sign free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
“I think the Buffalo Bills should call him today,” King said Monday to host Christopher Russo on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio.
The Bills lost 47-3 to Baltimore in their 2018 season-opener. In that game, they played two quarterbacks — Nathan Peterman and Josh Allen — who both struggled.
The Bills started Peterman in their opener, and announced on Wednesday they’ll start the rookie Allen in week two against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“I think it’s ridiculous that Kaepernick doesn’t have a job,” said King, a long-time Sports Illustrated writer who now works for NBC Sports.
Kaepernick actually got a big job last week doing commercials for NIKE, a sneaker and apparel company. But as far as playing quarterback, he last played in 2016 with the San Francisco 49ers. Kaepernick started the anthem protest movement in the summer of 2016, and some have surmised that hurt his ability to land an NFL job. He also struggled on the field his last two years in San Francisco, which perhaps also hurt his job prospects.
King thinks Kaepernick would be better for the Bills than Peterman or Allen. King doesn’t think Peterman is very good and isn’t sure if Allen is ready to start, especially behind the Bills’ leaky offensive line.
“[Kaepernick] will get you through this year,” King told Russo. “Allen under center, you have no idea if he’s ready and if he can be protected. Maybe he gets shell-shocked to the point that it’s going to effect him the rest of his career.”
King believes Kaepernick’s mobility is something the Bills need with their inconsistent line.
“I do think if you want to get through this year and have a chance, what you need is a QB who is going to be able to make plays with his legs,” King said. “Nathan Peterman is not that guy. Josh Allen is to some degree, but I’d rather Josh Allen fresh for next year.”
Russo interjected, “[Buffalo] is a conservative town, Peter, giving them Kaepernick might be dicey,”
“No matter where he’s signed it will be dicey,” King said.
Kaepernick’s new add campaign for NIKE is considered dicey by some. The theme of the ad is “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”
The point of the ad is that Kaepernick gave up an NFL career to protest racial inequality and police brutality. The quarterback started kneeling during the anthem because, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
King has a theory on why Nike made the controversial decision to hire Kaepernick.
“Nike realizes that Kaepernick is starting to get an Ali-like traction with a lot of young people, a lot of rebellious people in the United States, and enough people feel he got jobbed in the NFL and I think he’s a very interesting, charismatic figure in America right now and Nike said we are going to take advantage of that,” King said.
Nike is an NFL partner with a contract to make the player uniforms, but the league might not be thrilled with their Kaepernick hire. The former QB turned off some NFL fans due to his anthem protests and the socks he once wore to practice depicting police officers as pigs.
“I think [the NFL] is annoyed, but there is nothing they can do,” King said.
King added, “Nike is going to be a good partner for the NFL. They are going to do what the letter of the law says in their contract with the NFL, but they are also going to do the absolute best they can for their own business, and that is what Nike did here.”
But it’s unlikely the Bills think Kaepernick would be good for their business in Western New York, so probably aren’t going to sign him.
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