There is no escaping the quarterback question for the Chicago Bears. Matt Nagy knows that better than anybody. Until that position starts to play better, the head coach will be hearing criticisms from all angles. This is why he’s working tirelessly to get Mitch Trubisky turned around. However, an interesting bit of recent news shined a new light on this entire situation. His name is Colin Kaepernick.
The former 2nd round pick who led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2012 hasn’t played a down in the NFL since 2016. This despite constant assurances that he is ready for another opportunity. The big reason he hasn’t gotten one is his very public and controversial kneeling for the national anthem in protest of police brutality against minorities. Many people felt it was an insult to the American military who has sacrificed many lives in defense of the flag.
All of it created a firestorm for the league that led to a lot of bad press. Thus teams refused to sign him, not wanting the obvious backlash that would come with it. Three years have since passed and it seems the fervor has died away. Kaepernick still wants back in and thus chose to attend a public workout on Saturday the 16th with all teams invited to attend, including the Bears. Nagy was asked about this at his latest press conference.
His answer was certainly interesting.
“It’ll be interesting. He’s been out of the game a little bit. When he was doing well and playing, he definitely was a weapon. So I’ll be curious to see how he does. I have no idea. I wish him the best but for me, I’m just focused on the Rams.”
Matt Nagy likes Kaepernick but passed the buck to Ryan Pace
Everything about this situation with Kaepernick reeks of a publicity stunt. The fact that the NFL put it on a Saturday means that pretty much every GM in the league has an excuse to not attend since it’s the day for college football and they’ll want to attend games. Besides that, teams are free to work Kaepernick out privately whenever they wish during a season. Why should anybody think this showcase will suddenly convince somebody to sign him.
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Yet there is still a belief that every team will have representatives there including the Bears. Nagy though made it clear he’s not involved in that decision. It will be up to GM Ryan Pace and his staff.
Pace, for his part, is unlikely to attend. He’s been going to college games every Saturday evaluating prospects. It will be interesting to see who he ends up sending to attend this event. If it’s one of his right-hand guys like Josh Lucas? One might take the interest a little more seriously. If it’s one of his scouts? Then it’s merely a token presence.
In truth, it’s hard to imagine the Bears making this move. Kaepernick has always had talent but he’s still a media lightning rod and something the organization probably doesn’t want to deal with. Especially with their season teetering in the balance. Not to mention the fact they’re still holding out hopes for Trubisky.
