NFC Notes: Aguayo, Lions, Kaepernick

Let’s take a quick swing around the NFC:

• Buccaneers rookie kicker Roberto Aguayo connected on a game-winning 38-yard field goal on Monday night, but Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times says that Aguayo’s boot only served to buy Tampa Bay a little extra time to address its kicker situation. Even with the winner, head coach Dirk Koetter sounded as disgusted as he did relieved by Aguayo’s performance this season, and as Stroud observes, if Aguayo continues to struggle–he is 4-of-8 on field goals with one missed extra point in nine tries–it could cause a schism between the coaching staff that is judged on wins and losses and the front office that wants its gamble on drafting Aguayo in the second round to pay off.
• Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press believes the Lions opted for veteran Justin Forsett instead of a younger, high-upside back like Karlos Williams simply because they weren’t looking for a project for their backfield. With Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick, and Dwayne Washington all under contract for the next few years, Birkett believes Forsett was a better fit for Detroit’s locker room. Once Riddick returns from injury, Birkett believes he and Washington will split the work about 60-40, with Forsett filling a supporting role.
• In the same piece, Birkett writes that there is a very good chance that Matthew Stafford signs a third contract with the Lions next summer, no matter how the teams finishes in 2016. Indeed, Birkett believes the only way Stafford does not sign a new deal with Detroit is if he would rather hit free agency in a couple of years, which currently seems unlikely.
• The odds are currently against 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick resurrecting his career in 2016, but if he does, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle says he could leave the Niners “in the lurch.” Under his newly-restructured deal, Kaepernick can void the final three years of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent after the season if he desires. Given the strained relationship between player and team, Kaepernick could look to cash in elsewhere following a strong performance in 2016.
• Earlier today, we learned that the Cowboys might not hand the reins back over to Tony Romo even when Romo is fully healthy.