If Colin Kaepernick returns, he could be coming to the Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans have found their long-term quarterback in Ryan Tannehill, but Colin Kaepernick might be joining the Titans as a backup.

The Tennessee Titans shouldn’t be looking for another quarterback for a few years, or at least I hope that’s the case, but the Titans could be signing a new backup quarterback. If Colin Kaepernick decides to return to the NFL, the Titans could be an option.

Kaepernick has an interesting relationship with the NFL. He came into the league in 2011 but didn’t take regular season snap until 2012. He replaced Alex Smith that season and led the 49ers to an appearance in the Super Bowl.

In 2013, Kaepernick played his one game against the Titans in his career when he and the 49ers came to Nashville and beat the Titans 31-17, so he has experience winning in Nissan Stadium. He led the 49ers to a 12-4 record and a spot in the NFC Championship game before losing to the Seattle Seahawks.

The following season in 2014, Kaepernick led the 49ers to an 8-8 record, and that was the last season he didn’t have a losing record. In 2015 he started eight games and went 2-6, and in 2016, he went 1-10 in 11 games and was benched and replaced by Blaine Gabbert.

The 49ers became the third team in the NFL since 2010 to lose 11 or more straight games in a single season in 2016. The other two teams are the 2011 Indianapolis Colts and the 2013 Houston Texans.

The following offseason, Kaepernick declined his player option with the San Fransisco 49ers to test free agency. You don’t see a quarterback go 3-16 in his previous two seasons decline his player option to have another year of job security too often, but Kaepernick was in a unique situation.

As you may know, Kaepernick leaving San Fransisco for free agency didn’t pay off, and he didn’t find a new home, and that eventually led to him signing a massive deal with Nike in 2018.

A year later, Kaepernick was given an NFL tryout, but it was soured for many NFL scouts and organizations after he changed the location of the tryout at the last minute.

To say the last four years have been interesting for Kaepernick would be a huge understatement. It’s been a wild ride and rumors have it that he could be returning to the NFL as soon as this fall.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Sportscenter four potential landing spots for Kaepernick if he does decide to return to the NFL in 2020. Of those four teams, the Titans were listed alongside the Washington Redskins, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Los Angeles Chargers as the best fits for Kaepernick.

"“A couple of options: Tennessee Titans, because they love to run that play action,” Fowler said. “Ryan Tannehill, using his athleticism. They don’t have a natural backup right now, so that would be a good fit.“And then the dearth of quarterback quality in places like Washington and Jacksonville, those are options potentially. And then the Los Angeles Chargers because they have Justin Herbert, the rookie, if they want to give him a true redshirt year they could roll with Tyrod Taylor, an athletic quarterback, with Kaepernick right behind him.”"

The Titans will need a solid backup in case Ryan Tannehill is unable to play for any reason. Right now, the current backup quarterbacks Logan Woodside and seventh-round pick Cole McDonald are competing for the backup role.

Kaepernick is the only player of the three that has any NFL experience, even though the end of his run in San Fransisco wasn’t ideal, finishing his last two seasons with the 49ers with a 3-16 record. It might just come down to do the Titans believe that Kaepernick’s production is worth the controversy.