Colin Kaepernick reaches out to Seahawks, Pete Carroll about NFL chance
FILE-Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick makes a pass during a series of passing drills at Charles R. Drew High School. (Austin McAfee/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday he recently spoke with Colin Kaepernick, who expressed an interest in another chance to be a quarterback in the NFL.
Carroll cautioned that if Kaepernick gets that opportunity it may not be in Seattle, but said, "I think he does somewhere."
"I don’t know if it’s here. I don’t know where it is. I don’t know if it’s even in football. I don’t know," Carroll said. "People get a second opportunity in their lifetime ... and they can make the most of it if they’re ready for it. I don’t mean to send out any mixed messages about that. But I wanted you to understand that that’s how serious this is. It’s second chance time."
Carroll spoke extensively about second chances for multiple players, going for 12 minutes straight during a rare offseason news conference following the trade of quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos becoming official.
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But he made a point to specifically mention his recent contact with Kaepernick, who led the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance following the 2012 season. Kaepernick last played in the NFL in 2016, the same year he started kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice.
Kaepernick had recently posted on social media looking for wide receivers to throw with. Seattle wide receiver Tyler Lockett took Kaepernick up on his offer and caught passes from the quarterback earlier this week.
"He contacted me the other day and said, ‘Hey, I’d like to get a shot. I’m working out,’" Carroll said. "And so he sent me some video and next thing I know he’s working out with with Tyler Lockett. I don’t know how that happened."
Kaepernick met with Seattle a few years ago, but Carroll said he should be a starter in the league and the Seahawks only wanted a backup for Wilson.
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The Ravens considered signing Kaepernick in the summer of 2017 when former starting quarterback Joe Flacco was dealing with a back injury that would keep him out for the entire preseason. Owner Steve Bisciotti said he consulted with fans and the team ultimately passed.
The NFL organized a workout for Kaepernick in Atlanta in November 2019, but it turned chaotic and resulted in no job offers.
When Kaepernick took a knee to take a stand against police brutality and racial injustice in 2016, he was mostly alone. Teammate Eric Reid and a few others joined him, but politicians, team owners and other players criticized him, fans burned his jersey, and he was booed even at home. By 2020, global opinion shifted to the point that more people began vilifying those who attacked Kaepernick or misrepresented his stance.
Kaepernick and Reid filed collusion grievances against the league in October 2017, saying they were blacklisted because of protests during the anthem at games. They reached a settlement in 2019.
Carroll was asked directly how realistic it is that Seattle would give Kaepernick a look. Drew Lock was acquired in the trade with Denver.
"I don’t know, but he’s making a remarkable bid for it to sustain his conditioning for the four years he’s been out, going on five," Carroll said. "Who knows? I don’t know. We’ll see."
AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.