Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Report: Broncos to Scout Colin Kaepernick's Atlanta Workout
According to a report from 9NEWS' Mike Klis, the Denver Broncos will send a scouting presence to Atlanta on Saturday for Colin Kaepernick's planned workout. The exiled former NFL quarterback will ply his wares for league shot-callers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium this coming weekend.
Kaepernick's last NFL snap came in 2016 with the San Francisco 49ers. He would go onto opt out of his contract with the Niners the following summer, after he had been deposed by Blaine Gabbert as the starter.
Although he has become a social justice warrior, it's important to remember that Kaepernick's NFL career had begun to flame out long before he made that first fateful decision to take a knee during the National Anthem, which sparked a movement across the league and American pro sports.
Whatever your political opinion might be on the Take-a-Knee Movement, at the very least, it can't be argued that Kaepernick's actions created a national conversation on the topic of police brutality within minority communities.
Meanwhile, there is a Broncos-Kaepernick connection and it pre-dated his political kneel-down. GM John Elway explored a trade with the Niners for Kaepernick following Super Bowl 50, but the Broncos wanted the QB to accept a significant pay-cut. Kaepernick was unwilling to oblige Elway, and so the Broncos moved on with Mark Sanchez (short-term), Trevor Siemian and eventually Paxton Lynch.
Since then, Kaepernick believes he has been 'blackballed' by the NFL due to his political stance, and even took legal action against the league, which roped Elway into giving a deposition in the disgruntled QB's 'collusion' suit against the NFL. Kaepernick eventually settled with the league and dropped his lawsuit.
It's plausible to believe NFL owners and GMs might have 'colluded' to keep Kaepernick out of the league, considering the nose-dive in revenue that ensued following the inception of the Kneel-Down Movement in the 2016 preseason. The fan backlash was real, as tens of thousands of fans turned off the TV, and stopped watching and/or attending NFL games.
Many of those fans who took Kapernick's kneel-downs as an affront and offense to American Veterans and the United States flag have never come back.
Smoke or Fire?
Juxtaposing Kaepernick's left-leaning politics with that of the very right-wing Elway, it's hard to see the Broncos ever deigning to sign the exiled QB, let alone break ranks with the other 31 NFL teams and becoming the first to offer him a hand up.
Considering the dearth of QB talent the Broncos have suffered from since Peyton Manning hung up his cleats, it's saying something that Kaepernick can't move the needle. It's important to keep in mind, however, that there are real football reasons for any team to not have interest in Kaepernick.
After leading the Niners to a Super Bowl berth in 2012, Kaepernick's final two seasons as a starter were quite abysmal, as he finished both 2015 and 2016 with a completion percentage below 60%, and never returned to the playoffs after 2013. There was a reason Chip Kelly supplanted Kaepernick with Gabbert.
No, the more plausible explanation for the Broncos sending a scouting presence to Atlanta comes down to optics. Elway will be able to say with a straight face that the Broncos seriously kicked the tires on Kaepernick, without having to put the team out there or draw undue attention (or ire) to the team.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
