Seahawks Reportedly Didn't Sign Colin Kaepernick as 'Strategic Decision'

The reasoning behind the Seattle Seahawks declining to sign Colin Kaepernick reportedly wasn't money after all.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk refuted those reports Monday, writing the Seahawks "made the strategic decision not to add a player they regard as starting-caliber because they have a starter."

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told reporters Friday that Kaepernick is "a starter in this league" but said the team would not be signing him at this time.

Mike Garafolo of NFL Network had previously reported the Seahawks and Kaepernick were apart on money when they discussed contract parameters.

Kaepernick's free agency remains perhaps the NFL's most polarizing topic. He threw for 2,241 yards and 16 touchdowns against four interceptions last season with the San Francisco 49ers, numbers that objectively would have gotten nearly every other quarterback signed.

However, Kaepernick's decision to kneel during the national anthem in 2016 has made him persona non grata in some organizations. New York Giants owner John Mara told Jenny Vrentas of The MMQB that his team never considered Kaepernick because of potential public backlash.

"All my years being in the league, I never received more emotional mail from people than I did about that issue," Mara said. "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, more so than any other issue I've run into."

While the Seahawks organization has been publicly supportive of Kaepernick, Florio noted their decision to avoid signing him might be related to reported tension between Russell Wilson and the defense. ESPN.com's Seth Wickersham reported there has been underlying resentment toward Wilson from members of the defense, specifically cornerback Richard Sherman.

Not signing Kaepernick could be seen as a bit of a preventative measure to avoid any controversy should Wilson struggle at any point in 2017.