There’s a better than decent chance that free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick will be rostered by an NFL team this coming season. Kaepernick has been out of the league since 2016 after initiating the national anthem protests.
The NFL has changed its stance on the Kaepernick-led protests
It was just earlier this month that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell released a video statement admitting that the league mishandled the protests that started back in 2016. Goodell’s comments come amid ongoing protests following the murder of George Floyd by a then-Minneapolis police officer back on May 25.
Since the video of Floyd’s murder went viral, NFL players of all walks of life have spoken up to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Goodell himself indicated support for said movement and protests, the latter of which have included those on the streets kneeling in front of authorities.
The question now is whether a team will sign Colin Kaepernick
Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll noted earlier on Thursday that at least one team is interested in bringing in the former Super Bowl signal caller. However, Carroll did not stop there.
Talking about Seattle’s supposed interest in Kaepernick back in 2017, Carroll now admits that he regrets not signing the former San Francisco 49ers second-round pick, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson.
Kaepernick met with the Seahawks after opting out of his contract with San Francisco in 2017. While Carroll admits he regrets not signing Kaepernick, he denies that any of the conversation between the two the following year included the quarterback continuing to kneel. It was reported that Carroll and Co. scrapped their meeting with Kaepernick because he refused to stop protesting during the anthem.
Will the Seahawks sign Colin Kaepernick?
If Carroll does indeed regret not signing Mr. Kaepernick, what’s stopping the Seahawks from adding him to their quarterback room ahead of the 2020 season?
As of right now, Geno Smith is Russell Wilson’s primary backup. From an on-field perspective, there’s absolutely no reason to believe Smith is better than Kaepernick. From an off-field perspective, the city of Seattle is among the most progressive in the United States. We’ve seen that out in full force during the ongoing protests.