Ravens' John Harbaugh says he's been talking to Colin Kaepernick as team explores signing QB

Wednesday night’s news that Baltimore Ravens franchise quarterback Joe Flacco is dealing with a back issue – though it’s unclear how serious it is – of course led to speculation over whether the Ravens would bring in another quarterback.

And the most obvious and talented quarterback on the market is definitely on Baltimore’s radar.

Colin Kaepernick played for John Harbaugh’s brother, Jim, with the San Francisco 49ers, and Greg Roman, who is currently the Ravens’ senior offensive assistant and tight ends coach, was the offensive coordinator in San Francisco during Kaepernick’s first four NFL seasons.

On Thursday morning, after the Ravens’ first full-team training camp practice, John Harbaugh was asked about his team’s interest in signing Kaepernick.

“I’ve known Colin for many years through my brother for many years,” Harbaugh said. “And we talked and then got to know him very well when he scrimmaged here. He and I have been talking through the summer a number of times. We had some great conversations on the phone, and it’s really been a pleasure to talk to him and get to know him.

“I like history and politics too, and we’ve had some debates, and it’s been fun. And he’s a great guy.

“He’s a guy right now that’s being talked about; we’ll just see what happens with that. Only speculation right now. He’s a really good football player and like I said, I do believe he’ll be playing in the National Football League this year.”

Harbaugh also said that currently, the medical recommendation for Flacco is a week of rest, but he acknowledged that back injuries are tricky.

Not only does Kaepernick know at least two members of the Ravens’ coaching staff, as part of his Million Dollar Pledge he donated $25,000 to Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, a summer camp for Baltimore high school students that teaches public policy.

The two quarterbacks currently on the Baltimore roster in addition to Flacco are Ryan Mallet and Dustin Vaughan; Kaepernick would certainly be an improvement over either of those players.

More from Yahoo Sports:
• Rangers star ejected for hilarious antics in on-deck circle
• U.S. captures Gold Cup title on late goal
• Julio Jones involved in costly jet-skiing incident
• Report: Kyrie Irving not talking to anyone from Cavs organization