Colin Kaepernick wants all NFL teams to know he’s still working. The free agent quarterback posted a video of him working on quarterback drills on Thursday. Kaepernick hasn’t played since the 2016 season and in between there was protesting, blackballing, lawsuits, and a public workout. Maybe enough time has passed and a team is ready to bring him in? There are teams that need depth at quarterback. Hello Seattle.
Still Working pic.twitter.com/ezBzWf6bUI
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) March 10, 2022
Kaepernick visited the Seahawks in the spring of 2017 after he opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers, making him a free agent. Head coach Pete Carroll admitted he didn’t sign him because he felt, Kaepernick was a starter. The Seahawks already had Russell Wilson.
“I regret that we weren’t the one way back when that just did it just to do it, even though I thought that it wasn’t the right fit necessarily for us at the time,” Carroll said. “The reason it wasn’t the right fit is because I held him in such a high regard I didn’t see him as a backup quarterback and I didn’t want to put him in that situation with Russ. It just didn’t feel like it would fit right. That’s the way I felt about it. So I just wish it would happen, and I wish we would have been a part of it when the time was available then. We’re kind of set up right now, so football-wise, it doesn’t seem to fit us like I said. But there’s a lot of time here. We’ll see what happens.”
Kaepernick is now 34 years old and best suited as a backup or stopgap quarterback for a rebuilding franchise. That’s exactly what Seattle is now after trading Russell Wilson earlier this week. Right now Drew Lock, Geno Smith and Jacob Eason are the quarterbacks on Seattle’s roster.
A source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Kaepernick is ready to play and would be a great fit for teams with quarterback vacancies.
Colin Kaepernick is still working out and is said to be, in the words of one source, “in the best shape of his life. He wants to play. He’s ready play. He would be a great fit for teams with QB vacancies to fill who want to win a Super Bowl.” https://t.co/VAXfKlZ6E4
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 10, 2022
In addition to Seattle the Pittsburgh Steelers would be an interesting landing spot. Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins occupy the top spots on the depth chart. Maybe there is something there with either. But Kaepernick would push them and help in their development.
It’s risky bringing in a quarterback that hasn’t played in five years. Is he good enough to compete for a backup spot? Who knows. But he should get an opportunity to show what he can legitimately do.
Black National Anthem Debuts In NFL Opener | Still No Sign Of Colin Kaepernick
Of course whatever team that would potentially decide to bring him in will need to consider the reaction from the vocal portion of their fan base. The NFL fan typically skews conservative, white, and “pro America.” Kaepernick is not a favorite among that demographic.
If he’s brought into a training camp there would be the media frenzy while he’s there. If he makes the roster and is signed, there will be all the wondering about what he’ll do during the national anthem until it happens. Eventually it will die down and all that will matter is the team’s wins and losses and whether or not he’s contributing.
But what NFL team has the stomach to handle the period until then? We’ll have to wait and see.
