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Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan has given his blessing to the team signing Colin Kaepernick. 1010XL radio host Mike Dempsey asked Khan before tonight’s game against the Carolina Panthers if he’d be okay with signing Kaepernick if the Jaguars decision-makers recommended it.
Khan’s answer?
“Absolutely.”
Just saw Jags owner Shad Khan. Asked him if his football people recommended signing Kaepernick, would he be OK w/ it. Answer: "Absolutely."
— Mike Dempsey (@md_1010xl) August 24, 2017
Mr. Khan stated that while he would not have done what CK did, he respected his right as an American to express himself.
— Mike Dempsey (@md_1010xl) August 24, 2017
In my opinion, Kapernick represents a perfect situation for the Jaguars. As mentioned before, he has plenty of starting experience in the league, including the playoffs and Super Bowl. He thrives in the offensive style the Jaguars want to use, making smart, accurate throws to supplement a ground attack (which is also something he could contribute to).
Given the fact that he’s still currently unsigned, you could also bring him in under the agreement that he is competing for the starting job, and that’s really what makes this an ideal situation to me.
He’s also young, just 29 years old.
As mentioned before, by advocating for the Jaguars to sign Kaepernick, I am not completely abandoning ship on Bortles. Ideally, you would have the two compete for the starting gig.
If Kaepernick wins, it was a wise decision to bring him in. If Bortles wins, you now have a much more serviceable backup than Chad Henne, should Bortles get injured or continue to struggle.
If Kaepernick earns the starting nod, you just put yourself into the playoffs via the easiest division in football, and solved your quarterback issue for the next few years. If Bortles keeps his job, then you shouldn’t be too far out from being able to nab a top prospect at the quarterback position in next year’s draft.
Here’s the bottom line: Kaepernick, at the very least, gives you a legitimate backup to Bortles. It also brings the possibility that you would then have a quality starter under center, commanding a team that most around the NFL agree can compete for the playoffs now if the quarterback play is decent. Signing Kaepernick won’t cost you any draft picks and the Jaguars just added a big chunk of change to an already hefty cap space with Branden Albert’s retirement.