No subject has dominated NFL headlines over the past 24 hours than Colin Kaepernick. The fact this is a guy who hasn’t played a snap of football since the end of the 2016 season should send a pretty clear message about the type of impact he had on the league before being essentially blackballed in an effort to cool down the media firestorm that had erupted from his decision to protest police brutality by kneeling for the national anthem. Now the former QB wants to play again.
So the league agreed to set up a public pro day of sorts. Kaepernick will have a workout in Atlanta on Saturday the 16th and all teams are invited to attend. Thus far it’s been rumored that several will be sending representatives though no general managers or high-ranking executives are expected to. This makes many think it’s nothing more than a PR stunt by the NFL to get the media off their backs. Whether that’s true or not, the Bears are certainly one team that experts think would make sense given the struggles of Mitch Trubisky.
It seems Las Vegas agrees. According to Sports Betting Dime, they are tied for third-most likely to sign the Kaepernick following the workout with the Pittsburgh Steelers at 10-to-1. Only the Lions with Matthew Stafford being hurt and the Colts with Jacoby Brissett being hurt too rank higher.
Bears stance on Colin Kaepernick is predictably vague
Head coach Matt Nagy was asked about the Kaepernick situation during his Wednesday press conference. He referred to the QB as “a weapon” when he played in San Francisco but also somebody that hasn’t played in three years. He made clear that he has “no idea” if the Bears plan to consider signing the 31-year old. That will be up to GM Ryan Pace. Considering he like others apparently doesn’t plan to attend, that should send a pretty clear message about whether the team makes such a move.
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While many fans and media might view Kaepernick as an improvement over Trubisky, the fact is Pace and the coaches aren’t ready to throw in that towel. They still feel the young quarterback can find his way out of the funk he’s been in for the past three months. It’s a matter of building his confidence back up and getting his inconsistencies ironed out. Adding a very rusty quarterback to the depth chart, one who brings a boatload of media baggage with him doesn’t sound like something they’d want to entertain.
