Colin Kaepernick Rumors: Titans, Redskins, Jaguars, Chargers Linked as Options
June 13, 2020
The Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans and Washington Redskins are reportedly possible landing spots for free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported the update Saturday on SportsCenter after asking sources which teams could be interested in Kaepernick:
"A couple of options: Tennessee Titans, because they love to run that play action. Ryan Tannehill, using his athleticism. They don't have a natural backup right now, so that would be a good fit.
"And then the dearth of quarterback quality in places like Washington and Jacksonville, those are options potentially. And then the Los Angeles Chargers because they have Justin Herbert, the rookie, if they want to give him a true redshirt year they could roll with Tyrod Taylor, an athletic quarterback, with Kaepernick right behind him."
Kaepernick started the movement to kneel during the national anthem in August 2016 to protest against racial injustice and police brutality.
"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color," he told NFL Media's Steve Wyche at the time. "To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
He became a free agent in March 2017 and hasn't received another NFL opportunity despite stating his desire to continue playing football. It led to a collusion lawsuit alleging the league's owners were keeping him off a roster because of his protests, and the matter was settled out of court in February 2019.
There have been renewed calls for a team to sign Kaepernick, 32, amid worldwide protests focused on the same issues he was spotlighting in 2016, which started after George Floyd was killed while in Minneapolis Police custody May 25.
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll explained Thursday that Kaepernick doesn't fit within the current alignment of the Seahawks roster, which features a locked-in starter in Russell Wilson and two reserves: Geno Smith and Anthony Gordon. He didn't rule out signing him if injuries arose, though.
"But I wouldn't hesitate—I've said this ongoing for years—if Russ ever got tangled up and couldn't play or something, Kap would have been an extraordinary candidate to take over because of the dynamics of his play," he told reporters.
As Fowler alluded, Carroll added he'd received a call from an unnamed team about Kaepernick. The quarterback visited the Seahawks in 2017, but the team declined to sign him.
NBC Sports' Peter King reported Thursday he expects the Milwaukee native to receive a chance:
Kaepernick registered 85 total touchdowns (72 passing and 13 rushing) in 69 appearances (58 starts) across six years with the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 through 2016.
He was the Niners' starting quarterback in Super Bowl XLVII, a 34-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.