NFL Rumors: 'Low Percentage Chance' Colin Kaepernick Signs With Patriots

"Especially given that we haven’t had a traditional offseason and training camp is going to be a real sort of hurry up crammed session."

Now that many NFL fans are calling for quarterback Colin Kaepernick to be signed by an NFL team amid the protests going on around the country, the New England Patriots have naturally been pulled into the conversation given their quarterback situation. 

But don't count on the six-time Super Bowl champions signing Kaepernick.

While appearing on WEEI's weekend show "Ken & Fitzy" ESPN's Mike Reiss said there is a "low-percentage chance" that New England signs the former 49ers QB. 

“I feel like a very low-percentage chance,” Reiss said. "It would have to be, in my view, coming from a place other than the football side of it because Bill Belichick always says ‘we make the decisions that are in the best interest of the football team.'

“I feel like, the way it’s set up for the Patriots this year is they really want to see what they have in Jarrett Stidham, and they really like the idea of Brian Hoyer as a guy who has been in the system and there won’t be that same learning curve if they bring someone in from outside the system. Especially given that we haven’t had a traditional offseason and training camp is going to be a real sort of hurry up crammed session."

There is one stipulation that Reiss noted could have Kaepernick wearing a Patriots uniform. 

“Unless it was someone from the highest levels of the organization saying, ‘You know what? I’m going to put the NFL shield ahead of the Patriots logo here and say that I’m doing this for the NFL more than the Patriots,'" Reiss said. "That to me would be the one scenario I could see it happening and to me that feels like a long shot.”

If Reiss believes that to be the case, then we all should. Bringing in any QB that would compete for the starting job with Jarrett Stidham doesn't seem like a direction New England wants to go in, which is why Kaepernick joining the Patriots doesn't make sense. They have their plan in place, and having much noise surrounding a player that wouldn't even be earning meaningful snaps on game day would be an unnecessary distraction. It's not the Patriot Way. 

If Kaepernick is going to make a return to the NFL, it won't be through Foxboro.