Colin Kaepernick

Seahawks, Colin Kaepernick Were Apart On Money

June 2nd, 2017 at 9:51pm CST by Dallas Robinson

While the Seahawks did have interest in free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the two parties’ inability to come to an agreement was based on money, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link).

Reports earlier this offseason indicated Kaepernick might be searching for a salary “befitting a high-end backup quarterback or a low-end starter,” and that type of pay might not be palatable for the Seahawks, who are already paying Russell Wilson nearly $22MM per year. But Seattle clearly had sincere interest in Kaepernick, who remains the top quarterback available on the free agent market.

“Colin has been a fantastic football player and he’s going to continue to be,” said head coach Pete Carroll, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. “At this time we didn’t do anything with it but we know where he is and who he is and we had a chance to understand him much moreso. He’s a starter in this league and I can’t imagine — we have a starter. But he’s a starter in this league and I can’t imagine somebody won’t give him a chance to play.’’

For now, the Seahawks will forge on with only Trevone Boykin and Jake Heaps behind Wilson. Of the pair, only Boykin boasts any NFL experience (18 passing attempts), but the second-year pro has already been in legal hot water this offseason.

Seahawks Pass On Colin Kaepernick

June 2nd, 2017 at 4:18pm CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks won’t be signing Colin Kaepernick. At least, not right now. Today, coach Pete Carroll told reporters that while the door remains “open” to a union with Kaepernick, there is nothing imminent on that front.

This jibes with a report from earlier this week which indicated that no deal would be coming together at this time. Still, all signs indicate that the Seahawks’ meeting with Kaepernick was not just done as a courtesy. The team had real interest in him, reports say, and Carroll insists that there is some degree of interest in the former 49ers signal caller. Carroll said that Kaepernick demonstrated that he is still a starting-caliber quarterback and he can’t imagine that he won’t get an opportunity to play somewhere in the NFL this year.

Austin Davis worked out for the Seahawks on the same day as Kaepernick, but he also remains unsigned. If the Seahawks want to continue looking at outside backup QB options for starter Russell Wilson, they could explore vets such as Robert Griffin III, Shaun Hill, and Christian Ponder.

49ers Would Have Cut Colin Kaepernick If He Didn’t Opt Out

May 31st, 2017 at 2:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

John Lynch confirmed today the 49ers would have released Colin Kaepernick if he didn’t opt out of his contract, the first-year GM said (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). The 49ers would have had to carry a $14.9MM cap charge if Kaepernick had stayed on the team.

A meeting occurred between Kaepernick and the Lynch/Kyle Shanahan power structure where Shanahan said he wanted to run his same offense that thrived with the Falcons. The dual-threat quarterback wasn’t a classic fit for that scheme. The team soon brought in Brian Hoyer, with whom Shanahan worked with the 2014 Browns, and didn’t see Kaepernick making sense as his backup.

“We both sat down and under that current construct of his deal, it was a big [cap] number,” Lynch said. “Kyle had a vision for what he wanted to do, and one thing I think Kyle was very clear and I think Colin appreciated, is that Kyle has an idea of how he’d play with Colin Kaepernick. But he preferred to run the exact offense that he ran in Atlanta last year that was record-breaking in this league. And if you change it for the quarterback, you change it for everybody on that offense.

“Once we pursued [Hoyer], we didn’t see Kaep as a backup that would really fit in that scheme and we communicated that to him. So I think we’ve been very up front with it. But I think that is a fair characterization. Yes, he was not going to be here under the construct of his contract. We gave him the option, ‘You can opt out, we can release you, whatever.’ And he chose to opt out, but that was just a formality.”

Kaepernick remains without a team but has visited the Seahawks, with some league insiders believing he will end up being Russell Wilson‘s backup. Lynch also squashed the notion that the 29-year-old doesn’t want to return to football, one that came from 49ers sources earlier this month.

“I feel like that’s part of my job is controlling what comes out of this building, and to the extent that there was a perception that we were contributing to that Colin didn’t want to play football, we wanted to put an end to that,” Lynch said, via Florio. “… We had a great discussion that stuck out with me that this is a guy who is really interested in getting back in this league and playing at the highest level. And I’ve talked to him since, and that very much is the case.”

No Deal Imminent Between Seahawks, Colin Kaepernick

May 29th, 2017 at 6:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the rumors continue to connect Colin Kaepernick to his only known suitor this offseason, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter) no deal is imminent between the parties yet.

That said, Rapoport reports last week’s Seahawks summit was not a courtesy visit for Kaepernick. The interest is real, but no agreement is close at this point.

Kaepernick made the trip to Seattle on May 24, preceding an Austin Davis trek to the Pacific Northwest. ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler reported over the weekend that the majority of the NFL personnel he spoke to believe this union will happen. But for now, the 29-year-old former Super Bowl starter remains without a team as he enters what would be his seventh NFL season.

A few NFC teams that elected to move toward different backup quarterback options reportedly did not consider Kaepernick for those positions. The Cowboys went with Kellen Moore, who has five game appearances in five years, and the Buccaneers signed Ryan Fitzpatrick. Giants owner John Mara told TheMMQB.com’s Jenny Vrentas he received more letters about the then-49er’s national anthem protest than he has about any other issue. The Giants, who were not connected to Kaepernick this offseason, ended up selecting Davis Webb in the third round.

Seattle’s situation makes sense for the passer, with Russell Wilson‘s skill set somewhat aligning with Kaepernick’s and the team housing unseasoned backups. But as the team prepares to begin OTAs on Tuesday, Trevone Boykin and Jake Heaps are Wilson’s only understudies under contract. Of that duo, only Boykin has appeared in a game. The former TCU star attempted 18 passes as a rookie but has been arrested twice this year after encountering previous legal issues before 2017.

Beyond Kaepernick, Davis, Robert Griffin III, Shaun Hill and Christian Ponder reside as notable UFA quarterbacks the Seahawks could consider. Pete Carroll also said RG3 is not out of the question in an interview earlier this month, but the team is believed to prefer Kaepernick over him.

NFC Notes: Kap, Giants, Seahawks, Cards

May 29th, 2017 at 9:11am CST by Connor J. Byrne

Count the Giants among the teams that didn’t consider signing free agent Colin Kaepernick when they were in the market for a backup quarterback, co-owner John Mara told Jenny Ventras of The MMQB. Mara, whose Giants ended up signing Geno Smith and drafting Davis Webb to back up Eli Manning, revealed to Ventras that the team’s fans haven’t been shy about voicing their disdain for the polarizing Kaepernick. “All my years being in the league, I never received more emotional mail from people than I did about that issue,” said Mara. “If any of your players ever do that, we are never coming to another Giants game. It wasn’t one or two letters. It was a lot. It’s an emotional, emotional issue for a lot of people, moreso than any other issue I’ve run into.”

Colin Kaepernick To Seahawks “Likely To Happen?”

May 27th, 2017 at 2:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Seahawks became the first team to meet with Colin Kaepernick this offseason about a potential roster spot, and the latest coming out of the league is pointing the former 49ers starter to the Pacific Northwest.

Many around the NFL expect this union to commence, with ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler reporting (video link) the perception among the several sources he’s spoken with believe the Kaepernick-to-Seattle proposition is “likely to happen.”

The polarizing 29-year-old quarterback met with the Seahawks on Wednesday, doing so after Pete Carroll confirmed the team had interest in upgrading its backup quarterback post. Furthermore, Fowler hears the Seahawks may be the only true suitor for Kaepernick, with other teams not believed to be in the market for a backup quarterback.

Multiple teams ruled out Kaepernick, with the Cowboys and Buccaneers going with the likes of Kellen Moore and Ryan Fitzpatrick as their respective No. 2 signal-callers.

Fowler also reports that salary might be an issue here. A source involved in the quarterback market this offseason told Fowler he believed the Seahawks were only looking to pay the veteran minimum for a backup. Kaepernick profiling as an accomplished quarterback, albeit one who hasn’t been as consistent as he was when the Seahawks-49ers rivalry was at its apex during the early 2010s, leads Fowler to believe the Seahawks could give him a bit more money to spruce up the offer. But the team is not believed to be ready to make Russell Wilson‘s understudy one of the higher-paid backups in the league.

Excluding special-circumstances cases like the Bears’ situation and Brock Osweiler‘s Browns contract, the backup quarterback market tops out at Nick Foles‘ $5.5MM-AAV deal. Matt Schaub re-signed with the Falcons for $4.5MM per year, and Chad Henne makes $3.5MM annually with the Jaguars. Kaepernick obviously has a higher present pedigree than those passers, but with the Seahawks not believed to be negotiating against anyone, that doesn’t do much for the former second-round pick’s leverage.

The Seahawks would represent a logical fit due to Wilson and Kaepernick’s rushing skills and the team’s lack of quality behind its starter. Only Trevone Boykin and Jake Heaps, both ex-UDFAs, sit behind Wilson on the Seahawks’ depth chart. And Boykin was arrested twice earlier this year. The team also worked out Austin Davis this week.

Seattle has $9.49MM in cap space.

AFC Notes: Chiefs, Browns, Kap, Bills

May 26th, 2017 at 9:02pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest news and notes from the AFC:

The Chiefs have announced several changes to their front office, including the hiring of Tim Terry as director of pro personnel and the promotion of Ryan Poles from college scouting coordinator to director of college scouting. Terry is joining his second NFL organization after spending the first 13 years of his career in Green Bay, where he was most recently the team’s assistant director of pro personnel. General manager John Dorsey was in the Packers’ front office before the Chiefs hired him in 2013, so he’s already familiar with Terry. Kansas City’s Dorsey-led front office also pried Chris Shea away from Philadelphia. Shea, the Chiefs’ new salary cap and legal executive, previously served as the Eagles’ director of scouting administration.
Former NFL head coach and current 49ers assistant Eric Mangini believes that Colin Kaepernick would be a great fit for the Browns. “I think as the market settles and people start looking at these young quarterbacks they brought in and start evaluating the quarterback situation, they might realize it may not look as good as they hoped it would be,” Mangini told PFT. “I always thought he would be a good fit for the Browns. Hue [Jackson’s] system is multiple shifts and motions, and that’s what he did in San Francisco. Hue has an element of quarterback-driven runs, I think Colin is excellent as that. As a candidate, him vs. RGIII a year ago, I’d take Colin 10 times out of 10.” So far, the Browns have shown no interest in Kaepernick. To date, only Seattle has given him a real look.
Currently, the Bills are not projected to receive any 2018 compensatory picks because they signed more unrestricted free agents (seven) to qualifying contracts than they lost to other teams (five). However, the Bills can change that, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com writes. By releasing a total of four of their seven signed free agents between now and Week 10, the Bills would be projected to tack on two compensatory picks – one being a third-rounder for losing cornerback Stephon Gilmore plus a fourth-rounder for losing wide receiver Robert Woods. The most likely UFAs to go, in Rodak’s estimation, are defensive end Ryan Davis, offensive lineman Vlad Ducasse, and wide receiver Andre Holmes. To secure that fourth-round pick, they could also cut fullback Patrick DiMarco or kicker Steven Hauschka.

Extra Points: Kap, Lions, Bolts, Texans

May 24th, 2017 at 9:46pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Although the Lions are lacking a veteran backup quarterback, they’ve given no consideration to signing free agent Colin Kaepernick, head coach Jim Caldwell said Wednesday (via Nate Atkins of MLive.com). Caldwell respects Kaepernick’s ability – “I don’t think that his skill level has diminished to the point where he would be completely ineffective in this league,” he said – but the Lions will go forward with Jake Rudock and Brad Kaaya behind Matthew Stafford.

While Caldwell seems somewhat bullish on Kaepernick, questions regarding the 29-year-old have been mounting around the NFL since 2013 – his second full season as a starter – details Mike Sando of ESPN.com. Back then, one agent told Sando: “I don’t think he’s a very good quarterback. I think he is an incredible athlete.” More recently, Sando spoke earlier this month with various evaluators who addressed the fact that Kaepernick remains unsigned. “I do think he is getting kind of screwed,” said one team executive. But a personnel director noted: “You bring him in, and it is a media onslaught. It is not good or bad. It’s just, every time there is a social issue or anything that comes up, they are going to call him, they are going to want his feedback. Is that wrong? No, it’s not wrong. But he has thrust himself out there, much like Tim Tebow has with other various items or agendas. Is it really worth it?”

As Kaepernick waits to see if Seattle will end up as his next landing spot, here’s more from around the league:

The Chargers’ first-round pick, wide receiver Mike Williams, could be falling behind early on account of a back injury that he suffered on the first day of rookie minicamp nearly two weeks ago. Williams, the seventh overall selection, hasn’t been able to take the field during OTAs, leading to some concern from head coach Anthony Lynn. “I’d like to see him out there next week because he’s getting behind right now, and we’ve got to get him back out on the field,” Lynn said (via Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com). “If he wasn’t a rookie it would be different. But he has so much to learn, and some of this you can only learn on the field.” Williams is the second first-rounder in a row to start off inauspiciously for the Chargers, whose top pick in 2016, Joey Bosa, didn’t debut until October on account of a contentious holdout and a hamstring injury. Of course, those initial roadblocks didn’t prevent Bosa from having an excellent rookie season.
Texans offensive lineman David Quessenberry returned to the practice field Tuesday for the first time since being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in June 2014, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The 2013 sixth-round pick was set to enter his second season before the diagnosis temporarily derailed his life and career. Fortunately, Quessenberry went into remission in 2015 and then wrapped up his chemotherapy treatment this past April.
Like Quessenberry, Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater took to the practice field for the first time in a while on Tuesday (a devastating knee injury had kept Bridgewater completely out of action since last August). The 24-year-old then ventured to Dallas on Wednesday for a medical checkup that yielded positive news, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Edward Lewis of NFL.com). Bridgewater’s doctor told him that “he’s making progress in his rehab and lateral movement,” writes Lewis.

QB Austin Davis To Work Out For Seahawks

May 24th, 2017 at 10:23am CST by Zachary Links

Free agent quarterback Austin Davis will be visiting the Seahawks today alongside Colin Kaepernick, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s not immediately clear whether there are other QBs involved.

Davis, 28 in June, didn’t throw a single pass for the Broncos during his nearly fourth-month stay with the club. Before he was holding the clipboard duty for Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch, he did have significant starting experience in 2014 with the Rams. In that season, he threw for more than 2,000 yards, 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in eight starts. In between, he appeared in three games for the Browns. Earlier this year, Davis auditioned for the Giants and Ravens, but he did not get signed after either workout.

It doesn’t sound like the Seahawks will be signing Kaepernick or Davis or any other backup quarterback right away. Seattle doing background work on QBs, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, and no move is expected to take place today.

Seahawks Meet With Colin Kaepernick

May 24th, 2017 at 8:48am CST by Zachary Links

Today is the big day for the Seahawks and Colin Kaepernick. Seattle is meeting with him at team headquarters, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Earlier this month, head coach Pete Carroll said that both Kaepernick and RG3 are on the radar for the Seahawks as they look into reserve QB options. As it turns out, the Seahawks are far more interested in Kaepernick than they are in Griffin. Kaepernick and starter Russell Wilson were once divisional rivals, but it doesn’t sound like Wilson would have an issue with Kaepernick being his understudy.

Before setting their sights on Kaepernick, the Seahawks also looked into fellow former Niners QBs Blaine Gabbert and Christian Ponder, but they see the controversial signal caller as the most talented backup QB option available. If he performs well for coaches today, it might not be long before he has a new home for the 2017 season.

Kaepernick threw for 16 touchdowns against four interceptions in 2016 while supported by one of the worst offensive casts in the league. He wound up with a 1-10 record in his eleven starts.

Kaepernick first came to national prominence in 2012 when he stepped in for injured starter Alex Smith. He led the Niners to a 5-2 record in his regular season starts and led the team all the way to the Super Bowl. In 2013, he had what was arguably his best complete NFL season when he went 12-4 and threw for 21 TDs versus eight picks with 3,197 yards through the air. That year, the Niners went all the way to the NFC championship game before being stopped by Seattle. In 2014, he set a career highs in rushing yards (639) and passing yards (3,369), but the Niners went .500 and failed to make the playoffs.

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