Getty Colin Kaepernick
Many around the league and in the media are suggesting the New England Patriots sign free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Amidst the civil unrest throughout the United States, and the NFL’s position throughout the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement, the league has found itself at the center of the discussion again.
Kaepernick was a central figure and leader in the movement that swept the nation in late May and the first two weeks of June. As Kaepernick still sits without a team, many are pointing to the Patriots as the team that should bring him in as a free agent.
The Seattle Seahawks are the last team to have taken a look at Kaepernick, and they had a chance to sign him. Head coach Pete Carroll says he regrets not signing Kaepernick, but per the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta, Carroll says he recently got a call from a team inquiring about the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback.
Here is Condotta’s quote:
Carroll said he got a phone call from another NFL team today asking about Kaepernick. Says he’d never before gotten one about Kaepernick. Wouldn’t say which team but says he thinks that’s proof a team is interested in him.
Patriots Continuously Labeled Colin Kaepernick Fit
Was that team referenced above the Patriots? It’s possible. Massachusetts Senator Joe Kennedy was blunt and direct with his advice for the NFL and the Patriots. He tweeted:
The NFL should apologize to Colin Kaepernick and the Patriots should sign him.
Chad Finn of the Boston Globe insists Kaepernick and the Patriots are perfect for each other. Finn writes:
I bring this up now because there is another ostracized football player searching for the right fit. He has been searching for three full seasons, even though he long ago proved his worthiness in the league. And the place he should go to revive his career — the place that should give him that chance — has never been clearer.
The Patriots are the team that should do the right thing. They should sign Colin Kaepernick.
Finn isn’t just suggesting Kaepernick be signed by the Patriots to make a political statement or for the most openly patriotic team in the league atone for the league’s moral crimes. Finn also makes some pure football cases for the union. Skill-wise, Kaepernick is at least just as talented as the Patriots’ current expected starter in Jarrett Stidham, certainly more talented than career backup Brian Hoyer, and he’s far more experienced than undrafted rookies J’Mar Smith and Brian Lewerke.
Intrigue Behind Patriots-Colin Kaepernick Pairing
Statistically, Kaepernick’s numbers compare to Hall-of-Famer Terry Bradshaw, former No. 1 overall pick Carson Wentz, and former Super Bowl winner Doug Williams. Kaepernick hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016, but it hasn’t stopped other writers like PatsFans.com’s Mark Morse from echoing Finn’s sentiments.
Morse wrote:
Patriots, show the world that you are serious about this issue, sign Kaepernick; give him back the forum that he once had as a NFL player. Have the discussion with him and others so that it might foster a level of comprehension and new way of thinking.
By signing him you know that you will be opening up to, a media circus, and the accompanying backlash surrounding him and the issues of racial equality and police brutality. If you truly want to make a difference, however, bringing Kaepernick back into the NFL fold would be one giant step towards it.
That’s a powerful statement from a man who admittedly says he was once offended by Kaepernick’s kneeling during the national anthem. Yet, he has taken the time to stop, listen, and understand the real motivation behind the protest.
It’s a powerful movement that could potentially urge the Patriots to make a move that most would have thought impossible three years ago.
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