Power Rankings: Realistic fit for Kaepernick?
Chris Simms and Tank Williams discuss if an NFL team will take a chance on quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who hasn't played in the league since January 2017.
Video Transcript
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TANK WILLIAMS: All right, Chris, there've been a lot of headlines dominating the NFL landscape over the past week, but I think one of the primary ones is Colin Kaepernick and the workout, the infamous workout. And so I was thinking like if the NFL and the teams and Kaepernick were able to kind of resolve all their issues, what would be the best fit for Colin Kaepernick? And so I thought about Chicago, where Mr. Trubisky's phantom hip in the Rams game.
And we've been talking about maybe Cam Newton and all these other options and that, they just need to move on from Trubisky I've thought about Carolina. You know, they already signed Eric Reid. He could be a good backup for Cam Newton. So there's not that much pressure and stress on the organization. I thought about the Seattle Seahawks where Pete Carroll has said that there's been some general interest in Kaepernick so far. And that he's on the west coast, so I think they may be more acceptable of what his cause is.
CHRIS SIMMS: Sure.
TANK WILLIAMS: And you know, with the social movement for justice, and things like that. But I think ultimately, that if we look at this objectively, I don't think Kaep gets signed. And so is it really? Does it make sense for us to go to this exercise?
CHRIS SIMMS: Well, you're right. I think that's a very fair question. I don't know if it does either. I mean, one, hey, it was a debacle, the whole thing, right? I mean, I think the NFL deserves some blame. I think Colin Kaepernick deserves blame. I think I also do question whether he really wants to play. I'm not so sure I'm definitely sold on that after all the theatrical I saw this past weekend.
And then, the other thing I'll throw out there is, I mean, you know, man. I know. You've been in an NFL locker room. You know NFL head coaches. Are they going to really want to deal with the spectacle of bringing a Colin Kaepernick into the locker room and having to deal with that, as him being the backup quarterback really, and him demanding the most media attention on a weekly basis because of, yeah, I'm with you, I'm all for the cause and what he did?
Would I ever kneel for the national anthem? No, I would not. But the cause is real. The fight is real. I'm all behind that. But just, the NFL by nature is conservative that way. Owners are. The coaches are. And I just don't think a lot of them would want to deal with some of the nonsense and media fanfare that you would have to deal with having Colin Kaepernick.
TANK WILLIAMS: Yeah, and like you said, I mean, I think there could be a little bit of blame on both sides. I think we look at this objectively, we know one thing. That Kaepernick was blackballed from the league. He was definitely capable.
CHRIS SIMMS: Definitely
TANK WILLIAMS: A quarterback who could go in and help a team, whether it's like a starter or as a backup for the past three years, and that didn't happen. We also have to understand that each side has their agenda. I mean, I think at this point, the league doesn't trust Kaepernick because he's hardcore in his stances and that he's going to be vocal about it. And like you said, it's a conservative league. And so they don't really like how that affects a certain part of their fan base.
At the same time, Kaepernick is doing what he feels is right with this platform for social justice. And he feels like he needs to use that platform to speak for the people who can't speak for themselves. And so I think the people who love Kaepernick are going to continue to love him, and the people who hate him are going to continue to hate him.
And so when the league came up with this workout, I was like, why would you put this back into the spotlight? And then the only thing that came to me was Marshawn Lynch at the Super Bowl, where he's like, yo, I'm just here so I won't get fined. And I was like, yo, the NFL put this workout together, so they don't get sued. There's going to be like some polarizing stances on each side. But most importantly, this is all about the NFL and Kaep's lawyers playing chess in between all the noise that's on social media on the outside. And we really just gotta played for fools because of it.
CHRIS SIMMS: Well, I mean, to a degree, I can't really disagree with anything you said right there. But also to this. As you know, when you're out of the league for three years too.
TANK WILLIAMS: So tough.
CHRIS SIMMS: That's not necessarily easy just to jump back in there and start playing again. I mean, we see guys miss seven or eight weeks and they can't, and it takes a little while to jump back in there and get back in. So a lot of things, but I think bottom line, I'm with you. I don't think the NFL, most teams are going to want to deal with the media attention and everything that comes along with it. I think that we're both on the same page here. I just don't think this is ever going to happen. It's been too long. It's too divisive of a subject now.
TANK WILLIAMS: Absolutely.
CHRIS SIMMS: And he gave the avenue of haters to continue to hate. And that's what's unfortunate to me, because I mean, I really like watching the guy play football. He was talented. He had a special skill set. And I actually think he was a little bit ahead of his time to where he could be doing some Lamar Jackson stuff right now. But I don't think we're going to ever see that again.
TANK WILLIAMS: Yeah, unfortunately, that ship has sailed. I mean, like you said, I mean, when you've been out of the game for three plus or almost three years, I mean, it's going to be hard for a team to bring him in and think that he can learn the system and then be a capable player that can help that team. So at this point, the NFL has their agenda, he has his own agenda. And I just hope that next time, they just leave all of us out of it.
CHRIS SIMMS: Agreed.