Pete Carroll stirs the Seahawks pot, says could still bring in Kaepernick

I thought I’d written my last article on Colin Kaepernick and the Seahawks. Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. I feel your pain, Michael.

You’d think there would be enough to write about with the NFL draft just a few days away. And there is enough to write about, you know. Between now and Thursday, you could wallpaper Paul Allen’s house with all the mock drafts that will be out. And then Kaepernick comes back.

And yet, one name keeps invading the inner sanctum of CenturyLink Field. A name that has never played a down for the Seahawks. A name that hasn’t even played a down for anyone for over a year. It’s great to talk about how no one is going to pay enough in trade to get Earl Thomas. It’s terrific to muse about who the Seahawks will find in the fifth round this year. But the name that always comes around is Colin Kaepernick. And this time, it’s all Pete Carroll’s fault.

At the predraft press conference, someone just *had* to ask about Kaepernick. Pete Carroll just had to answer, because he’s Pete. Per Bob Condotta,

To be clear, I’m not knocking Pete Carroll for the answer. He has never been one to dodge a question, and he certainly didn’t here.  I just wish for once he had. Pete felt the need to clarify the Seahawks position. Again, from the keyboard of Bob Condotta.

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So despite the fact the Seahawks already re-signed Austin Davis, last year’s backup quarterback, Colin Kaepernick may still be in play. That strikes me as really weird. Kap was either asking for too much money, or was a starting quarterback in 2017. So the Seahawks went with Austin Davis. This year, Kap is still the same quarterback. True, he hasn’t played in a year, but that also means he hasn’t taken any shots to the head or knees, either. Would he be an improvement over Austin Davis? Yes, of course; we’ve been over this before. Will he get a chance to prove it?

I don’t see why he would. Kaepernick still has starter talent, and that was too good for the Seahawks in 2017. Add in this year, the Seahawks seem to have some concern over how he voices his concerns for social justice. That never came up in 2017, at least not publicly. To be fair, that concern has not been verified by the Seahawks. Carroll downplayed that aspect of the situation, saying that everything is important with every player.

Regardless, Colin Kaepernick is the same player and the same man he was in 2017. Seattle passed on him for Austin Davis then, and they signed Davis a week ago. I don’t see anything different here, and no reason that he’ll wind up with Seattle in 2018.