One day after his recent workout, Colin Kaepernick’s agent had heard nothing from any of the NFL’s teams. Eight days later, it’s the same situation.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that “no teams have reached out to work him out, visit with him or sign him.”
In more than 32 months since Kaepernick first became a free agent, no team has had him in for a workout. Only one team has brought him in for a visit -- the Seahawks, in May 2017.
The outcome isn’t a surprise. Any team could have brought Kaepernick to town for a workout. No one has, no one did. By all appearances, no one will.
Although some would say that Kaepernick isn’t in the pool of potential backups because he wouldn’t accept such an assignment, no one has offered him the second or third spot on a depth chart. That said, if Kaepernick were willing to take whatever he can get, nothing stops him from saying so.
Indeed, as false narratives churned regarding Kaepernick wanting an eight-figure salary or a guaranteed starting job when neither he nor his representatives had never said that, the truth is he never said he didn’t. At this point, it would be useful (if he wants back in) to say, “I’ll take whatever I can get, for whatever you offer me.”
Even then, teams would have concerns that Kaepernick’s presence could spark pressure to not simply employ Kaepernick but to deploy him. Tim Tebow eventually became an undesirable option as a backup quarterback (beyond the fact that he was a notoriously bad practice player) because of concerns that the Tebowmaniacs would constantly clamor for Tebow to play, yelling louder and louder with each incompletion or interception thrown by the starter.
Regardless of right or wrong or whatever, that’s the current situation. If Kaepernick wants to get back into the NFL, he needs to be willing to take whatever he can get, to accept the role that is offered, and to refrain from saying anything that would increase external pressure on his team to put him on the field. And it’s not enough for him to say, “No one asked.” If he’s inclined to do the things he needs to do to get back in, he needs to answer those questions before they’re ever asked.