The reports surrounding Colin Kaepernick have been coming fast and furious in the past few weeks, and the latest word is that the division rival Seattle Seahawks have reached out to Kaepernick’s agent with interest in having him compete for the backup quarterback position.
Seahawks GM John Schneider reached out to Colin Kaepernick's agent last Friday. Interest in him as potential backup is legit. @nflnetwork
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) May 16, 2017
Last year, Russell Wilson threw for 4,219 yards and 21 touchdowns while playing all 16 games. His backup during the 2016 season was former TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin, but Boykin has reportedly been arrested twice in the past two weeks.
Much of the reporting about Kaepernick has been that no team has reached out to the 29-year-old, but his self-described adviser Dr. Harry Edwards said last week that three teams had reached out to him to gauge Kaepernick’s interest in playing. Edwards said that he was unsure if Kaepernick had a desire to play.
Kaepernick started 11 games for the 49ers last season while throwing for 2,241 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. The dual-threat quarterback, who has 2,300 career rushing yards, would likely be able to slide in nicely to replace Wilson with Seattle should he sign with the team and ultimately be needed.
Speaking on an ESPN Seattle radio show Monday, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said the team was considering both Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III as potential backups, but didn’t specifically mention having contract negotiations with either of them.
The Seattle rumor seems to be the most concrete evidence that Kaepernick has serious interest from NFL teams. It could be a sign that Kaepernick will be employed sooner rather than later, but until then, expect the rumors to continue circulating.