- According to Tim Kawakami of The Athletic,
Colin Kaepernick still wants to play in theNFL , and his agent is reaching out to teams to gauge their interest. - Some in the NFL are calling for teams to sign Kaepernick, whose protest during the national anthem is back in the spotlight thanks to nationwide Black Lives Matter protests.
- Kaepernick has not played since 2016, but is reportedly in shape and perhaps more likely to land a job after the NFL acknowledged it mishandled protests.
Colin Kaepernick is still aiming for an NFL job.
According to The Athletic's Tim Kawakami, Kaepernick's camp says the quarterback is "determined to play again." TMZ Sports also reported that Kaepernick is still keeping up with his workout routine, and said to be in "the best shape of his life."
Kawakami reported that there are rumors that Kaepernick's agent has reached out to all 32 teams to express interest in a return to the NFL; it's unclear how interested teams are in him.
Kaepernick has re-entered the news cycle thanks to the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests following George Floyd's death. Though Kaepernick has not played or been given a chance to play since 2016, his last season with the San Francisco 49ers, his protest of police brutality and social injustice resonates today.
After a powerful video made by NFL players, Commissioner Roger Goodell released his own video, saying "Black lives matter" and saying the NFL was wrong to push back on protests during the national anthem. However, Kaepernick has not explicitly been mentioned by the NFL.
In 2019, Kaepernick settled his collusion grievance, alleging he was blackballed, against the NFL. Though the NFL set up a public workout for Kaepernick last year, the event was derailed by miscommunication and a lack of trust from both sides. Kaepernick eventually hosted his own workout, but only a few teams attended.Some around the league believe it's time Kaepernick was welcomed back.
Seattle Seahawks running back Carlos Hyde, who played with Kaepernick on the 49ers in 2016, told reporters that a team signing Kaepernick would show they are truly interested in change.
"I think the NFL can start by signing Kap back," Hyde said (via ESPN's Brady Henderson). "I think if they sign Kap back, that'll show that they're really trying to move in a different direction. Because Kap was making a statement four years ago about what's going on in today's world and the NFL didn't bother to listen to him then, so I think they should start by doing that."
New Orleans Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins, who helps lead the NFL Players Coalition and was critical of Drew Brees' national anthem comments, said the NFL could recognize Kaepernick or "assign" him to a team.
"Until they apologize specifically to Colin Kaepernick or assign him to a team, I don't think they will end up on the right side of history," Jenkins told CBS.
Though Kaepernick has not played since 2016, some think there are teams for which he could be a fit in the 2020 season. Chad Finn of The Boston Globe wrote that Kaepernick would be good for the New England Patriots. They will either be starting unproven second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham or veteran journeyman Brian Hoyer.
"Kaepernick owns the 24th-best passer rating in NFL history," Finn wrote. "He has a strong (if sometimes erratic) arm and he's fleet of foot (he's rushed for 2,300 yards at a clip of 6.1 yards per carry). I'd like to see what he could do in cahoots with Josh McDaniels in a limited role. He may not be a starter anymore, but there cannot be many better backups."
Kaepernick's ability was often cited as the reason for his unemployment over the last three seasons. However, in his last NFL season, Kaepernick threw 16 touchdowns to 4 interceptions in 11 games for a 2-14 49ers team. Kaepernick began the year recovering from offseason surgeries that had limited his effectiveness. Over his final three starts of the season, he completed 70% of his passes for 664 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 1 interception.
Kawakami also wrote that while Kaepernick's protest was a big media talking point in 2016, it was not a distraction in the 49ers locker room."The 49ers were just a bad team that actually got along quite well ... His teammates ended up voting him as the team's most inspirational player that year," Kawakami wrote.
However, ESPN analyst and former NFL player Domonique Foxworth argued on "First Take" that while he thinks Kaepernick getting signed would benefit Kaepernick, it would also cast the NFL in too-positive off a light.
"I don't think the NFL deserves vindication," Foxworth said. "I think Colin being back in in the league would somewhat absolve the NFL of their guilt, and that's what bothers me about this idea.
"If he comes back and plays at a high level, that will be great for him, it will raise him to a higher level in our minds, in our memories the further we get away from this. But I don't necessarily want to see some documentary 10 years from now and the highlight of that documentary is that the NFL came around and they are the champions for bringing Colin back. That bothers me."
Hyde said he doesn't know how much the NFL can do to fight systematic racism in the U.S., but he said signing Kaepernick would help.
"The racism in this world is deep-rooted ..." he said. "I don't think the NFL is going to change anything, but personally I really don't know. I just know they can sign Kap."
- Read more:
- How a 'rogue' NFL employee teamed up with Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas to help create a video that would compel the league to say 'Black Lives Matter'
- Patrick Mahomes' involvement in NFL players' 'Black Lives Matter' video may have had a huge role in changing the league's stance
- Shaquille O'Neal spoke to the Saints in the wake of Drew Brees' controversial comments and urged them not to be divided
- The UFC president Dana White appeared confused and lost for words when asked to comment on the Black Lives Matter movement