Colin Kaepernick on Wednesday was given another potential opportunity to join an NFL team — but the conditions of the offer didn’t show much respect for his skill level.
Los Angeles Chargers coach Anthony Lynn told reporters teams “would be crazy” not to consider working out Kaepernick ahead of the upcoming season
Pressed on whether the Chargers’ were thinking about giving Kaepernick a chance, Lynn praised the quarterback’s “talent” and said he was on the team’s “emergency workout list.”
- Lynn said he had not reached out to Kaepernick, but that he would call him if his roster was depleted.
- “I’m very confident and happy with the three quarterbacks that I have, but you can never have too many people waiting on the runway,” he said.
Lynn’s comments have prompted headlines and commentary hyping a Kaepernick comeback.
But Daniel Popper, a reporter who covers the Chargers for The Athletic, wrote on Wednesday that the Chargers “are not currently interested in signing Kaepernick, nor will they be in the future unless something catostrophic happens.”
- On Twitter, Popper put the odds of the Chargers signing Kaepernick at 1 percent.
Also Wednesday, Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis told ESPN he has always given the coaches and general managers his “blessing” to sign Kaepernick, but they have not pursued the quarterback.
Kaepernick, 32, hasn not played an NFL game in more than three seasons.
- On the San Francisco 49ers bench in 2016, his last season in the league, Kaepernick started kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice.
- Kaepernick has accused the NFL of blacklisting him over his activism.
- He canceled a scheduled workout with NFL teams last November, citing issues with the legal terms.
Yet, amid nationwide demonstrations against police brutality and racism, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has reversed his opposition to anthem protests and encouraged teams to hire Kaepernick.
President Donald Trump, while still opposing the anthem protests, on Wednesday said he supported Kaepernick returning to the NFL “if he has the playing ability.”
- The president proceeded to question Kaepernick’s playing ability, saying the quarterback “wasn’t up to snuff” at the end of his last stint in the league.
- “I would love to see him get another shot,” Trump added. “But obviously he has to be able to play well. If he can’t play well, I think it would be very unfair.”
Gooddell suggested to ESPN on Monday that if Kaepernick couldn’t find a spot with a team, the NFL would hire him in his current capacity as a celebrity social justice activist.
- “If his efforts are not on the field but continuing to work in this space, we welcome him to that table and to help us, guide us, help us make better decisions about the kinds of things that need to be done in the communities,” Goodell said.
