Now that former first-round pick Paxton Lynch has been relegated to No. 3 quarterback duties, there’s a chance the Denver Broncos might look to the free agent market for a backup to Case Keenum heading into the 2018 season.
Second-year signal caller Chad Kelly looked good in the preseason opener, but it’s too early to tell whether GM John Elway and Co. are comfortable relying on him as a primary backup.
If the Broncos do indeed look outside the organization for a quarterback, don’t expect them to target the embattled Colin Kaepernick.
In talking to reporters about the possibility of signing Kaepernick, Elway pretty much closed the door before it was ever opened.
Asked John Elway if Colin Kaepernick would be a candidate if they look outside for a QB2: “Colin had his chance to be here. We offered him a contract. He passed it.”
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 16, 2018
In a vacuum, Elway is not wrong here. Denver had worked out a deal with San Francisco for Kaepernick prior to the 2016 season. Unfortunately for everyone involved, the free agent signal caller wouldn’t take a huge pay cut to head to the Mile High City.
But that now seems like ages ago. Since then, Kaepernick started protests during the national anthem around the football world and has been unemployed since the end of the 2016 season. He’s currently battling the NFL, Elway and Co. included, in court while claming the league’s owners have colluded against him returning to the gridiron.
It’s in no way a surprise that Elway would shut down any Kaepernick-centric rumors before they start. But his willingness to focus on something from well over two years ago tells us exactly where the front office head stands on the topic.