Getty Colin Kaepernick at his NFL workout.
The Detroit Lions were one of the teams to watch Colin Kaepernick’s workout over the weekend, but what he did on the field might do little to change the team’s mind about signing him.
After the workout took place, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press was asked on Twitter whether or not the Lions looked prepared to sign Kapernick, and asked by a fan what the odds would be of the team making a move. The answer? Apparently not that great in the least bit.
Additionally, the reason has little to do with the workout itself. As Birkett says, he simply will believe someone will take the plunge to sign the quarterback when he sees it happens.
Detroit does have Matthew Stafford in the mix and he could be set to return sooner rather than later, which means Kaepernick might not get the shot to start immediately in Detroit that he may somewhere else. To that end, Birkett’s assessment makes complete sense.
As much as the Lions could use Kaepernick as an established backup, would he be willing to sign on in that scenario, and would the team even be interested in adding such a high profile player to the mix who won’t consistently play?
Colin Kaepernick’s Workout
Colin Kaepernick, who’s been out of the NFL since 2017 and fervor over his demonstration for social justice during the National Anthem, had a workout in Atlanta on Saturday. According to Matt Patricia, the Lions were one of the teams in attendance to watch Kaepernick perform.
The Lions, of course, have Stafford entrenched as a starter, but with Stafford facing his back injury trouble and the team struggling without him, it makes sense that the front office would at least get a visual on Kaepernick.
As expected, plenty of the NFL teams got to watch how Kaepernick performs, so it is not a surprise to see the Lions at least getting a look. Detroit was reportedly one of eight squads to see what Kaepernick can do on the field up close over the weekend in what was a somewhat bizarre audition.
Lions Odds to Sign Colin Kaepernick
In spite of this explanation by Birkett, the Lions remain an odds on favorite to sign the quarterback according to SportsBettingDime.com, who had the team’s odds to sign him at 5/1, just ahead of the Indianapolis Colts at 7/1.
According to Dan Shulman of Heavy.com, the Lions might just be the best option for the quarterback out of any of the teams who attended the workout. Here’s what he wrote on the fit:
“This would honestly be a perfect fit for Kaepernick. With no timeline regarding Matthew Stafford’s return and the Lions slipping out of the playoff picture fast, bringing in a quarterback like Kaepernick would be extremely beneficial to the already-fast-paced Detroit offense.
With Kaepernick in shape and potentially game-ready off the bat, he could be leading the Lions offense within a couple weeks and could potentially shift the NFC North playoff picture in a big way.”
There’s no guarantee Stafford comes back fast as anticipated off the injury, of course, so Kaepernick could be a potentially longer term band aid for the team.
Regardless of the fit and the possible need, many who follow the Lions simply don’t see the team taking the plunge in the end to be the squad that signs Kaepernick.