Colin Kaepernick or Cam Newton: Which QB stands better chance to play in 2022 NFL season?
Cam Newton and Colin Kaepernick both had successful NFL careers at the start of their careers, into the mid-2010s. Fast forward to 2022, and they’re both free agents looking to sign with a new team for the 2022-2023 season.
The only difference is that Newton has been in the league for the last five years, while Kaepernick has remained out of the league, partly because he knelt during the national anthem in 2016.
For that reason alone, Newton stands a better chance of playing in the 2022 NFL season. While Kaepernick has been fighting to get back into the NFL since 2016, Newton apparently has teams interested in him, and he's waiting on choosing the best fit.
The former MVP has played 11 seasons in the league with ups-and-downs. Newton was drafted by the Carolina Panthers as the first-overall pick in the 2011 draft and had high expectations coming out of college.
In 2015, Newton led the Panthers to a 15-1 record while winning league MVP. He led Carolina to the Super Bowl that season and put up 45 total touchdowns, a passer rating of 99.4, and racked up over 4,500 total yards. Newton has yet to replicate that same kind of success in a season since then.
Newton hasn't been that successful the last few years. After five games with the Panthers last year, he threw for 54.8%, only threw 684 yards, and had a 4 to 5 touchdown interception ratio.
Kaepernick, on the other hand, hasn't played since the 2016 season. He struggled the last two seasons he played, combining for a record of 3-16, while going 1-10 in the last season he played and eventually getting benched for Blaine Gabbert.
Colin Kaeprnick threw under 60% and just 2,241 yards in those 11 games in the last season that he played.
Colin Kaepernick will be throwing today at Michigan’s halftime spring game
While Kaepernick is eyeing a comeback, today is a big day for him. He’ll be able to show what he’s got during Michigan’s halftime spring game in front of NFL scouts.
Kaepernick is looking to be on a roster and get a chance to play in the NFL for the first time since 2016. He’s even accepted that he’ll likely join a team as a backup and has no issues with that; he just wants an opportunity. If Colin Kaepernick impresses today at Michigan, it could take him one step closer to an NFL comeback.