Holy hell! Nathan Peterman has had a longer NFL career than Colin Kaepernick

Songwriter Ray Davies of the Kinks was right, irrespective of Lola. It’s a mixed-up, muddled-up, shook-up world.

And you’ll be hard-pressed to ever find better proof than the following fact about NFL quarterbacks: Nathan Peterman’s career has now lasted longer than Colin Kaepernick’s.

Indeed, Kaepernick played six seasons in the NFL, and for years thereafter he unsuccessfully lobbied, nearly begged, a team to sign him for a chance at a seventh. Never happened. He hasn’t taken a snap since New Year’s Day of 2017, in his last game with the Niners.

He lasted 71 months in the league.

But the interception machine known as Nathan Peterman this week signed for his seventh NFL season. His NFL career began 72 months ago.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, is right about that.

Kaepernick played all six of his NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, leading them to two NFC championship games — and one razor-close loss in Super Bowl XLVII following the 2012 season. He also won four of six playoff games. All this in just five seasons of starting either some or all 49ers games, 2012-16, after watching from the sideline during his rookie season of 2011.

Kaepernick completed a sliver under 60% of his NFL throws for 72 touchdowns, against 30 interceptions, for a fine TDs-to-interceptions ratio of better than 2-to-1. He also rushed for 2,300 yards and 13 touchdowns.

But as the leading figure in the player anthem-protests movement that began in 2016, Kaepernick became the league’s infamous lightning rod for the issue. And he ate it up, sparking a sweeping social-justice movement in top-level sports. What began as a quiet act of civil protest — Kaepernick taking a knee rather than standing at attention as the pregame national anthem played, to shine a light on continuing racial and social injustices in America — spread fast, first to others on his team, then to others across the NFL, then beyond football.

Kaepernick became chief spokesman for the movement, which — right or wrong — branded him as one of the most bold, visionary and (it must be said) divisive socio-political sports figures ever.

Kaepernick frankly scared the hell out of NFL owners and front-office talent evaluators, and no team proved willing to sign him ever again, as an unrestricted free agent after he opted out of his 49ers contract on March 3, 2017.

Teams viewed him as just too toxic. Some also, no doubt, as just too selfish when everything in football ought to be about the team, team, team.

He’s been out of the league now for a longer period of time (72 months) than he was in it (71 months).

Which brings us to Peterman.

On Thursday, NFL Network reported the 28-year-old journeyman quarterback had agreed to terms on a one-year deal to return as backup to starter Justin Fields on the Chicago Bears.

It was the Buffalo Bills in April 2017 (a month after Kaepernick left the Niners) that drafted Peterman. Then as now, the book on Peterman is that he’s at best an average-sized passer, but with an underwhelming arm, despite a pedigree of top-shelf intangibles and work ethic. The Bills selected the University of Pittsburgh product in the fifth round, 171^st overall.

As a mid-Day 3 pick, no one expected Peterman to challenge, or even take meaningful snaps away from, then Bills-incumbent passer Tyrod Taylor, under the first-year regime of freshly hired GM Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott.

But Taylor struggled as his third season of starting for the Bills progressed and McDermott infamously chose to bench Taylor and start the rookie Peterman in Week 11 at the Los Angeles Chargers.

In a performance of historic, horrific ineptitude, Peterman proceeded to throw a record five interceptions against the Chargers in his first eight possessions, before McDermott mercifully yanked him at halftime of a 54-24 loss.

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No NFL quarterback was ever more flustered.

Same pretty much was the case for Peterman in three more starts for the Bills over the next two seasons. His final Bills stat line after four starts: 52.3% completions for an average of 137 pass yards per game, three TDs and 12 interceptions. Yes, 12.

The Bills cut Peterman before late in the 2018 season, and he didn’t land with another NFL team until Jon Gruden signed him to the Raiders’ practice squad late in the 2019 season.

Peterman remained in Las Vegas for the next two seasons, 2020-21, as a backup who saw action behind Derek Carr in only two games, completing a total of 3-of-5 passes for 25 yards. But at least no picks!
Last season he left Vegas for Chicago, and in injury relief of Fields in three games he completed 56% of his throws for 139 yards total, one TD and one interception and 11 sacks.

So as an NFL starter Peterman is 1-4 record and, all told, has a 53.1% completion percentage, 712 yards, four TDs, 13 interceptions, and a wince-worthy 68.6 passer rating. Of his 13 picks, three were returned for touchdowns, so he has produced nearly as many TDs for the opposition as for his teams.

Why has Peterman outlasted Kaepernick in the NFL? Because as much as he screws up, he shuts up. Until he steps onto a field, no one notices he’s even there — six years later, and counting.

JoKryk@postmedia.com

@JohnKryk