The careers of Colin Kaepernick and Nick Foles are much more similar than they appear. Even though one is the reigning Super Bowl MVP and the other is unemployed, these two have undergone similar peaks and valleys throughout their respective playing careers.
Comparing the Careers of Colin Kaepernick and Nick Foles
Colin Kaepernick
Colin Kaepernick once played quarterback for a team that lost in the Super Bowl. Sure, that was in 2012, but he is still in his athletic prime. Kaepernick replaced an injured Alex Smith and carried the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl. The following season, Kaepernick led the 49ers back to the playoffs. He won two more playoff games and eventually lost at the hands of arguably the best defense in NFL history. In the span of 14 months, Kaepernick went from backup quarterback to NFL superstar. He was 17-6 as the starting quarterback heading into the 2014 season. That season, with several veteran pieces missing, the 49ers managed to go 8-8 as Kaepernick threw for a career-best 3,369 yards.
In 2016 at age 29, Kaepernick was stuck on a bad team and finished the season with a 1-10 record as the starter. However, he threw for 16 touchdowns and only four interceptions while rushing for nearly 500 yards and two more touchdowns. That season was when Kaepernick decided to kneel during the National Anthem, leading to his subsequent departure from the NFL. The typical argument is that Kaepernick was no longer good enough to play in the league, despite coming off of his best season since 2013. He posted a 90.7 quarterback rating, which was 17th amongst all quarterbacks that season.
Now, Kaepernick is too far removed from the NFL to realistically have a chance at a return. There is a notion that he is not talented enough to play. Not only is that incorrect, but it overshadows the fact that the league blacklisted him due to politics.
Nick Foles
Nick Foles is another backup quarterback that had a chance to shine because of an injury. After Carson Wentz went down at the end of last season, the Philadelphia Eagles turned to Foles. Foles took the reins and carried the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory. Foles wound up the Super Bowl MVP after defeating Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. With Wentz nearing a return, the talk of the summer was if Nick Foles would be traded for a first-round draft pick. Foles played a handful of games, won a Super Bowl, and is now regarded as a starting-caliber quarterback. Outside of his one run with the Eagles, the career of Nick Foles has been nothing to gloat about.
In 2016 with the Kansas City Chiefs, Nick Foles threw just 55 passes and completed 65 percent of those throws. However, the small sample size is not enough to judge that season, so it will be thrown out. Since 2014, the first season that Kaepernick missed the playoffs, Nick Foles has yet to complete over 60 percent of his passes. In three season, Foles has completed just 57.8 percent of his passes for 25 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. In that same time, Kaepernick completed 59.7 percent of his passes for 41 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. However, Foles is still widely considered to be the better quarterback.
Comparing Kaepernick and Foles
Colin Kaepernick’s career was ended after his age-29 season. Nick Foles is 29-years old heading into the 2018 season. That age is right in the prime of quarterbacks. Foles has played 20 fewer games in the NFL than Colin Kaepernick but has thrown just one fewer interception. Foles’ career completion percentage sits at 60.1 percent, while Kaepernick’s was 59.8 percent. Kaepernick changed the landscape of NFL offenses with his ability to run the ball and reinvent the read option at the NFL level.
Both quarterbacks led their teams to a Super Bowl, with only Foles coming out victorious. At the same time, both were aided by an elite defense and running game during their playoff runs. Their careers seem nearly identical, but one is out of the league due to politics and one is considered a starting-caliber quarterback. It is wrong for the NFL to say that Kaepernick simply isn’t good enough to make a roster. Nick Foles started six games last season and was shopped for high draft picks all summer before the Eagles decided to retain him as the backup.
Colin Kaepernick has moved on from the NFL and recently appeared in an ad from NIKE, but that’s a story for a different place.
Despite his 1-10 season in 2016, Kaepernick still finished his career with a 28-30 record. The NFL blacklisted Colin Kaepernick due to politics and the idea that he is not talented enough was never accurate. Nick Foles is a perfect comparison in this instance.
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