The Aaron Rodgers injury was brutal for the New York Jets. The team went all in on the four-time MVP this offseason, and he lasted four plays under center. In the NFL, it’s next man up, though, and Gang Green has to figure out its quarterback situation quickly. The team could stick with Zach Wilson, make a trade for a QB, sign a veteran free agent, or even go after Tom Brady. One rumor that is circulating is that Colin Kaepernick wants the Jets to give him a shot. Here’s why that actually makes a lot of sense for New York.

Why Colin Kaepernick should get a shot with the Jets after the Aaron Rodgers injury

Let’s start with the fact that the Jets need to do something after the devastating Aaron Rodgers injury. Zach Wilson came in and was decent Monday night against the Bills, but if Wilson was any good, Rodgers wouldn’t be in New York in the first place.

Sticking with Wilson is the best option for Week 2, but the Jets have so much talent at running back, wide receiver, and on defense that going with the QB who couldn’t get it done the last two seasons isn’t the best option. Or, at least fully handing the team over to him without any competition or backup plan.

To that end, the Jets could look at a trade, but the trade market isn’t great in Week 2 of the regular season, and the team is already without its second-round pick now, which goes to Green Bay in the Rodgers deal. Plus, if they did make a trade, the QB’s salary couldn’t be that high, as they are already paying Rodgers a lot of money.

That leaves the free-agent veteran option as the quickest and easiest path to help solidify the quarterback spot. However, the options out there aren’t great. Short of talking Tom Brady out of retirement, the Jets could go after the likes of Carson Wentz, Nick Foles, or the recently retired Matt Ryan or Philip Rivers.

We’ve all seen these movies before, though, and we know how they play out.

There is also the practice squad route. Several teams around the league have QBs stashed on their practice squad. However, these players are either veterans who have proven they are no more than low-level backups (Anthony Brown, PJ Walker, Jake Fromm) or young QBs who are unlikely to come in a lead a veteran Jets roster to victory (Malik Cunningham, Max Duggan, Holton Ahlers).

So, how do the Jets get a veteran who’s had success and proven he can pick up an offense, yet doesn’t have too much wear on the tires?

Colin Kaepernick is the only answer that could even come close to that for the Jets.

Kaepernick is 35 and hasn’t played in the league since the 2016 season. After kneeling for the national anthem and failing to hold on to the San Francisco 49ers starting job, he hasn’t been able to get another job in the NFL.

Is it because of his politics or his talent? Despite several low-level workouts, he’s never received a real shot to come into a team, even for a few weeks to see if he could get back to the QB who led the 49ers to a Super Bowl once upon a time.

To be clear, this isn’t advocating for the Jets to sign Kaepernick to a multi-million-dollar deal or even anything more than a league minimum practice squad deal. If he’s not OK with that, then the Jets shouldn’t be interested.

However, if he will work out, show he’s still in football shape, and sign on to the Jets practice squad for a few weeks, Colin Kaepernick is absolutely worth the risk.

Kaepernick is a lottery ticket for the Jets. At worst, he’s a practice squad body for a week or two who doesn’t work out and pisses off some of the vocal minority on social media. He’s a footnote that will soon be forgotten, even by the angriest fans.

At best, Kaepernick recaptures some of his old form and leads the Jets to the postseason. He is a mature man now who can command the locker room after his struggles, is thrilled to finally be back in the league, and is a person the whole team rallies around to achieve great things.

Is there a huge chance that the second scenario will play out in New Jersey this season? No. Is it 100% worth it to bring Colin Kaepernick into the Jets’ facilities to kick the tires and see if there is a tiny chance it could? Unquestionably yes.

And if owner Woody Johnson — who was once US Ambassador to the United Kingdom appointed by President Trump, it’s worth noting — and general manager Joe Douglas don’t, then they’re not doing absolutely everything in their powers to help the Jets succeed this season, and that’s something that should truly upset Jets fans.