Updated through Week 17

A total of 68 NFL quarterbacks started a game in the just-concluded 2017 regular season. Colin Kaepernick was not among them.

[Read: The making of Colin Kaepernick]

With multiple players claiming the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback had been blackballed by the league for sparking protests during the playing of the national anthem, a subject that dominated the past two NFL seasons and drew criticism from President Trump, The Washington Post tracked the statistical performance of each team’s top passer to see how they measured up to Kaepernick’s 2016 averages.

Over the course of the season, 10 quarterbacks were worse than Kaepernick, 7 were about the same (plus or minus 0.35 ANY/A) and 15 were better.

ANY/A is a tweak on yards per attempt that gives QBs credit for throwing touchdowns and penalizes them for interceptions and sacks. It’s calculated as: (yards + 20 * TD - 45 * interceptions - sack yards) / (attempts + sacks).

To be fair, two of those 10, DeShone Kizer and Mitchell Trubisky, were rookies, with their teams building for the future. Two others, however – Brett Hundley with the Packers and Jacoby Brissett with the Colts – were thrust into starting roles due to injury to star starting quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Andrew Luck. Would those teams have been better off on the field had they turned to Kaepernick? It will remain the source of debate, but the numbers suggest the former 49er would have represented an upgrade.

ANY/A is a tweak on yards per attempt that gives QBs credit for throwing touchdowns and penalizes them for interceptions and sacks.

Note that adjusted net yards per attempt only measures passing. Quarterbacks who run a lot – such as Kaepernick, Cam Newton, and Russell Wilson – were not given credit for those contributions. Here’s the full QB ranking, from worst to best:

Player Team Total seasons 2017 Passing Stats ANY/A
32. DeShone Kizer Cleveland CLE Rookie 53.6% comp, 11 TD, 22 INT 3.69
31. Brett Hundley Green Bay GB 2 60.8% comp, 9 TD, 12 INT 3.71
30. Trevor Siemian Denver DEN 3 59.0% comp, 12 TD, 14 INT 4.38
29. Joe Flacco Baltimore BAL 10 64.1% comp, 18 TD, 13 INT 4.71
28. Jay Cutler Miami MIA 12 62.0% comp, 19 TD, 14 INT 5.04
27. Mitch Trubisky Chicago CHI Rookie 59.4% comp, 7 TD, 7 INT 5.05
26. Eli Manning N.Y. Giants NYG 14 61.6% comp, 19 TD, 13 INT 5.11
25. Jacoby Brissett Indianapolis IND 2 58.8% comp, 13 TD, 7 INT 5.26
24. Cam Newton Carolina CAR 7 59.1% comp, 22 TD, 16 INT 5.28
23. Marcus Mariota Tennessee TEN 3 62.0% comp, 13 TD, 15 INT 5.51
22. Andy Dalton Cincinnati CIN 7 59.9% comp, 25 TD, 12 INT 5.65
21. Tyrod Taylor Buffalo BUF 7 62.6% comp, 14 TD, 4 INT 5.67
20. Dak Prescott Dallas DAL 2 62.9% comp, 22 TD, 13 INT 5.74
19. Carson Palmer Arizona ARI 14 61.4% comp, 9 TD, 7 INT 5.86
Kaepernick (2016) San Francisco SF 6 59.2% comp, 16 TD, 4 INT 5.92
18. Josh McCown N.Y. Jets NYJ 15 67.3% comp, 18 TD, 9 INT 6.00
17. Derek Carr Oakland OAK 4 62.7% comp, 22 TD, 13 INT 6.07
16. Blake Bortles Jacksonville JAX 4 60.2% comp, 21 TD, 13 INT 6.21
15. Kirk Cousins Washington WSH 6 64.3% comp, 27 TD, 13 INT 6.38
14. Russell Wilson Seattle SEA 6 61.3% comp, 34 TD, 11 INT 6.45
13. Jameis Winston Tampa Bay TB 3 63.8% comp, 19 TD, 11 INT 6.70
12. Matt Ryan Atlanta ATL 10 64.7% comp, 20 TD, 12 INT 6.87
11. Ben Roethlisberger Pittsburgh PIT 14 64.2% comp, 28 TD, 14 INT 6.95
10. Matthew Stafford Detroit DET 9 65.7% comp, 29 TD, 10 INT 7.01
9. Case Keenum Minnesota MIN 6 67.6% comp, 22 TD, 7 INT 7.03
8. Deshaun Watson Houston HOU Rookie 61.8% comp, 19 TD, 8 INT 7.19
7. Carson Wentz Philadelphia PHI 2 60.2% comp, 33 TD, 7 INT 7.43
6. Tom Brady New England NE 18 66.3% comp, 32 TD, 8 INT 7.56
5. Philip Rivers L.A. Chargers LAC 14 62.6% comp, 28 TD, 10 INT 7.60
4. Jimmy Garoppolo San Francisco SF 4 67.4% comp, 7 TD, 5 INT 7.62
3. Alex Smith Kansas City KC 12 67.5% comp, 26 TD, 5 INT 7.65
2. Drew Brees New Orleans NO 17 72.0% comp, 23 TD, 8 INT 7.71
1. Jared Goff L.A. Rams LAR 2 62.1% comp, 28 TD, 7 INT 7.72

About this story

All data from Pro Football Reference. Quarterback photos are from the NFL via Pro Football Reference, with the exception of Colin Kaepernick (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP).

Originally published Sept. 7, 2017.

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