Which team could sign Colin Kaepernick? Texans, Vikings and Patriots make some sense
Could an NFL team be ready to sign Colin Kaepernick? Seahawks coach Pete Carroll hinted as much.
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Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick last took an NFL snap on New Year's Day 2017 in a 25-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks with Kaepernick playing well, going 17-for-22 for 215 yards with a TD and no interceptions. Kap has essentially been blackballed by NFL owners since because of his kneeling before games.
The NFL's stance on kneeling has changed of late because of the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of George Floyd's death. Even Roger Goodell admitted the league was wrong on how it handled kneeling in the past. It's just a different world today than it was on New Year's Day 2017.
Thus, there is talk that Kaepernick, 32, could return to the NFL – he did hold a workout last November but even that had controversy regarding a liability waiver from the league that Kaepernick's camp wouldn't accept. They moved the workout from the Atlanta Falcons' facility to a high school about 60 miles away.
According to CBS NFL Insider Jason La Canfora, seven teams were represented at the workout: the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions.
This week via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Kaepernick reportedly is in great shape and "more motivated to play than ever" before. With so many players now backing Kaepernick's return, it seems possible some team might take a shot.
On Thursday, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll admitted regretting passing up the opportunity to sign Kaepernick in 2017 but that he didn't because the Seahawks viewed him as a starter in the league and they already had one in Russell Wilson. However, the most interesting thing Carroll said was that he got a phone call earlier Thursday from a team asking about Kaepernick. NBC Sports' Peter King said this week on a radio show that he has a "gut feeling" Kap will at least get a workout.
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Which team might take the chance? Some owners, frankly, are too conservative to sign Kaepernick because it's going to draw so much attention and probably anger President Trump, who is on record with his feelings about NFL players kneeling.
The Patriots seem like a logical choice because they have a gaping hole at quarterback with just Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer. And Bill Belichick has never been afraid to take on high-profile player risks.
The Vikings certainly could use better Kirk Cousins insurance than Sean Mannion. Former NFL spokesman and ex-White House press secretary Joe Lockhart wrote for CNN.com that the Vikings would make a strong statement by signing Kaepernick.
Carroll hasn't ruled out the possibility as Kaepernick would be a backup upgrade on Geno Smith, but Carroll said the team likes Smith. The Titans could use a backup behind Ryan Tannehill – that's currently Logan Woodside. The LA Rams also have a very iffy No. 2 quarterback in John Wolford. Chad Henne is Patrick Mahomes' backup, and the Chiefs were at that workout last November.
However, the club that potentially makes the most sense? Houston. Deshaun Watson is a very mobile quarterback like Kaepernick, so the Texans wouldn't have to change their offense much with Kap. They would with the stationary AJ McCarron.
That Cam Newton is still on the free-agent market certainly could shape which team might sign Kaepernick. The Patriots remain NFL betting favorites for Newton.
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