John Harbaugh Says Ravens Are Interested in Signing Colin Kaepernick

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said on Thursday that he has been talking to free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick throughout the summer and that the team is considering signing him, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.

Zrebiec added, "Harbaugh said signing Kaepernick depends on what Kaepernick wants to do. Ravens are interested. They're planning on bringing in another quarterback."

Harbaugh further elaborated on his relationship with Kaepernick, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com: 

Harbaugh's comments come just a day after Rapoport reported that starter Joe Flacco was "preparing" to miss three to six weeks with a disc injury in his back, and at the least would miss a week or two of action. That leaves the Ravens with just Ryan Mallett and Dustin Vaughan on the depth chart.

Kaepernick would arguably represent an upgrade over both players in the backup role to Flacco.

As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noted, Kaepernick's ties with the Ravens also run deeper than some conversations with Harbaugh. He was coached by Ravens senior offensive assistant Greg Roman in San Francisco, when Roman was the offensive coordinator under head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Kaepernick has controversially remained unsigned this season, with many claiming his political stance of kneeling during the national anthem last season to protest police brutality and the unequal treatment of minorities in the United States has led to him being blacklisted by many NFL teams.