Jan 1, 2017; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) passes the football while being rushed by Seattle Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril (56) during the first quarter at Levis Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Ravens are in the market for a new backup quarterback. There are plenty of options out there, but whom should they choose?

The Baltimore Ravens’ backup quarterback from last season, Ryan Mallett, is now an unrestricted free agent. The Ravens have said that they’re interested in possibly bringing him back, but there are a lot of veterans on the market to choose from.

Mallett is 28 years old and had only six passes last season being that Joe Flacco was healthy. However, he showed some impressive skills in 2015 when he helped lead the Baltimore Ravens to a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers to the tune of 274 yards, one touchdown, and a 68.3% completion percentage.

Mallett also showed improvement in his maturity during his time in Baltimore. Back in 2015, Mallett was released by the Houston Texans after being late for meetings consistently, and missing a team flight. We didn’t see any problems like that in Baltimore with Mallett.

But Mallett isn’t the only guy out there, and there’s no guarantee he’ll end up back in Baltimore. While John Harbaugh likes the guy, and the team is interested in him, there are a lot of options out there.

Perhaps the best available backup quarterback options will be Matt Barkley, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Josh McCown, and Brian Hoyer. All of them come with risks (age being a major one for a few), but they’ve all proven themselves to be more than capable as starting quarterbacks in the NFL.

Other players who will be available include Mark Sanchez, Case Keenum, Geno Smith, Matt Cassel, Blaine Gabbert, and EJ Manuel, none of whom inspire much confidence.

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However, one quarterback free agent that could be interesting is Colin Kaepernick, who has decided to opt out of his contract in San Francisco. While he was mired in a bit of (overblown) controversy for his decision to kneel during the national anthem (though he says he’ll stand now), Kaepernick had his best statistical season in three years.

Kaepernick finished the year with 2,241 yards passing, 16 touchdowns, four interceptions, and a 90.7 passer rating. Plus, there’s the Harbaugh connection, considering Kaepernick was drafted by Jim Harbaugh. There’s a chance he could fit in Baltimore, but it’s likely he’ll want a starting job somewhere.

Whomever the Baltimore Ravens select as their backup quarterback, he needs to be someone who is reliable. While Flacco has been fairly healthy over the years, being confident in your backup just in case the worst happens is key to a successful team.