Colin Kaepernick: Top 5 fits in NFL free agency

4. Houston Texans

The first year of the Brock Osweiler experiment didn’t go well for the Texans, due in equal parts to the expectations attached to a bloated contract and his erratic, lackluster play. Every one in a position of power in the organization, from owner Bob McNair to general manager Rick Smith and most recently head coach Bill O’Brien, has suggested some sort of competition for the starting job heading into next season.

Incumbent backup Tom Savage may be in the mix to start, after stepping in last season when Osweiler was finally benched, and the Texans may look to the draft for a quarterback. Osweiler’s $19 million salary cap hit this year is likely to keep Houston out of the mix for Tony Romo, but a turn toward the lower end of the free agent market can’t be ruled out. Third-stringer Brandon Weeden is also under contact for next season, but if any sort of addition is made he’s the easy odd-man out.

The guaranteed money in Osweiler’s contact runs out after the 2017 season, so the Texans can put a bad decision behind them fairly quickly if he does not rebound. Taking a flier on Kaepernick would add competition for Osweiler this year, and offer a lower-cost option beyond that if the Texans eventually see enough to keep him around.