Colin Kaepernick made waves recently when he had his agents request permission from the San Francisco 49ers for a trade. The Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns (among others) would reportedly be interested in making a deal for the quarterback, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, though the 49ers would still prefer he remain in San Francisco.
That Cleveland and Houston might be interested in Kaepernick isn’t surprising at all. Both teams have languished without a starting-caliber quarterback for years, though the Browns have the Texans beat by quite a large margin on that front.
The Browns have been linked to the top quarterbacks about to hit the draft in 2016. But it would be hard to argue they’d be better off rolling with a rookie quarterback that will need seasoning rather than a veteran who has already been to a Super Bowl and nearly won it.
Houston is very intriguing. Head coach Bill O’Brien has been known to have an affinity for mobile quarterbacks, and the Texans already feature a run-first offense, which Kaepernick needs.
Of course, the best potential landing spot for Kaepernick could arguably be right where he still finds himself with Chip Kelly and the 49ers. He seems like a natural fit running Kelly’s zone-read offense that takes advantage of play-action in the passing game.
Clearly, the quarterback doesn’t see it this way, but it might not matter. If the 49ers want to keep him, they have the power to do so. That said, it seems unlikely the organization would not allow trade exploration if Kaepernick insists on being moved.