Getty Colin Kaepernick
Longtime New England Patriots reporter Mike Reiss of ESPN says there is a scenario in which he could see the team signing high-profile free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Reiss joined Ken Laird and Nick “Fitzy” Stevens on WEEI radio to discuss the prospects of a Kaepernick signing and more.
Reiss said it feels like a long shot. He said:
“Unless it was someone from the highest levels of the organization saying, ‘You know what? I’m going to put the NFL shield ahead of the Patriots logo here and say that I’m doing this for the NFL more than the Patriots.’ That to me would be the one scenario I could see it happening and to me, that feels like a long shot.”
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Why Reiss Says Kaepernick to Patriots is a Long Shot
Reiss doubts the Patriots would sign Kaepernick, and he offers some solid reasoning.
“I feel like a very low percentage chance,” he said. “It would have to be, in my view, coming from a place other than the football side of it because Bill Belichick always says ‘We make the decisions that are in the best interest of the football team.’
This quote supports the one above, and would seemingly decrease the chances we hear this potentially epic announcement. Reiss continued:
“I feel like, the way it’s set up for the Patriots this year is they really want to see what they have in Jarrett Stidham, and they really like the idea of Brian Hoyer as a guy who has been in the system and there won’t be that same learning curve if they bring someone in from outside the system. Especially given that we haven’t had a traditional offseason and training camp is going to be a real sort of hurry up crammed session.”
Does Kaepernick to Patriots Make Any Football Sense?
One of the major questions surrounding this potential acquisition is does it make football sense? It’s easy to make a case for one of the teams in the NFL rooted deepest in traditional American culture to sign Kaepernick. It’s owner Robert Kraft has been a supporter of President Donald Trump, who aggressively opposed Kaepernick’s kneeling to protest police brutality during the national anthem.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that a Patriots signing of Kaepernick would send a strong message that the NFL is serious about its commitment to end institutional racism, police brutality toward people of color, and the mistreatment of African Americans on a whole in the United States.
However, is Kaepernick a good football fit for the Patriots? The answer to that question is probably no. The Patriots declined signing any top-flight veteran free-agent QB option because they seem happy with exploring the potential of Jarrett Stidham as the new No. 1 guy with Brian Hoyer as the insurance policy.
Signing Kaepernick would throw those plans in the air, and head coach Bill Belichick isn’t a throw-the-plans-in-the-air kind of guy.
Is Kaepernick to the Patriots the Right Move if it’s Only About Optics?
The answer to this question depends on who you ask. There are many things bigger than football, and symbols of racial equality is one of them.
That said, I wouldn’t want to see Kaepernick signed just for the sake of signing him. If and when he gets his opportunity to play, I want him to have a realistic opportunity to make an impact.