In the aftermath of the decision of the Seahawks to not sign quarterback Colin Kaepernick, some have suggested that the inability to get the two sides together results from the fact that the two sides are apart on money.
Per a source with direct knowledge of the situation, that’s not the case.
And that makes sense, given the manner in which Seahawks coach Pete Carroll explained the situation on Friday. Carroll declared Kaepernick to be “a starter in this league"; it’s the kind of public assessment that would never break the financial logjam in the team’s favor.
Instead, the Seahawks have made the strategic decision not to add a player they regard as starting-caliber because they have a starter. While that could change if their starter suffers a serious injury, the reluctance of a team driven by competition to embrace a competitive option seems odd -- unless the Seahawks don’t want to have an in-house option to which the Russell Wilson Resenters can point if/when he struggles during the regular season.
Currently, Trevone Boykin and Jake Heaps are the only other candidates to play, and no one will be clamoring for either of them. If the Seth Wickersham article regarding the belief that the Seahawks don’t hold Wilson accountable is accurate, the Seahawks have every reason to resist adding a player behind whom certain players could rally.