Colin Kaepernick makes sense for Seahawks — just ask Warren Moon

We don’t know whether the Seattle Seahawks will offer Colin Kaepernick a contract. But this much is clear: By meeting with the politically active quarterback, the Seahawks may ultimately provide the first opportunity for Kaepernick to revive his career.

NFL Network reported that Kaepernick will visit the Seahawks on Wednesday, along with free-agent quarterback Austin Davis. Kaepernick is expected to work out for the team, according to the report.

During an interview with ESPN’s Seattle radio affiliate on May 15, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll revealed that Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III are among the free agents the team is considering to bolster its QB depth behind starter Russell Wilson. “We’re looking at everybody. We really are,” Carroll said. “We’ve been tracking everything that’s going on, and we’ve got cap and roster issues and stuff like that that we’re still trying to manage properly. But quite frankly, yes, we are looking at all those guys.”

By merely acknowledging that Kaepernick’s name is on their list, the Seahawks have gone much further than their competitors have.

Kaepernick ignited a nationwide debate by choosing not to stand during the national anthem — first sitting, then kneeling — in an effort to draw attention to the oppression of black people and people of color. Some African-American players believe that Kaepernick, who opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers ahead of free agency in March, is effectively being blackballed because of his political stance.

Several have pointed to the fact that far less accomplished signal-callers such as Mike Glennon and Blaine Gabbert, whom Kaepernick replaced last season in San Francisco, have moved to new teams while Kaepernick remains sidelined. They remember that New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, whose team has arguably the worst QB situation in the league, criticized Kaepernick’s form of protest. And President Donald Trump in March took credit for Kaepernick being out of the game, saying owners were afraid of incurring Trump’s wrath on Twitter if they signed the dual-threat quarterback.

The Seahawks are partly considering bringing in another quarterback because Trevone Boykin, who backed up Wilson in 2016, recently was arrested twice in 11 days. Even if Boykin remains on Seattle’s roster, you could understand why Carroll may want another option at the game’s most important position.

Warren Moon believes Kaepernick could be the right guy. Moon, the only African-American quarterback in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is an analyst on Seahawks broadcasts. Moon said with Kaepernick’s mobility and lack of turnovers, he makes sense for the Seahawks — assuming he’s truly willing to be a backup.

Wilson has never missed a start. Kaepernick would have to understand that “he’s not going to get a chance to play” unless Wilson gets hurt.

“And I don’t know if Colin is ready to be a backup quarterback yet,” Moon said by phone. “You’re talking about a guy who has [58] starts in his career. He has been to an NFC championship game. He has been to a Super Bowl. He has had some pretty good success. So I don’t know if he’s ready to take that role and be a backup. I don’t know what his plan is.”

Kaepernick hasn’t shared one publicly. He wants to play next season, and his passion for the game has never been greater, people close to Kaepernick have told The Undefeated recently. His associates have also moved to correct the record about rumors and unsubstantiated criticism. However, Kaepernick has not spoken out about his situation. Would he be willing to accept a backup role? What are his contract demands? Are there certain teams, for whatever reason, he has crossed off his list? Without answers to those questions, it’s difficult to say there’s an organized effort among the 32 teams to shut out Kaepernick, Moon said.

“Whatever Chicago was thinking about, signing Mike Glennon, I’m not really sure about that one. And there are a couple of other situations that you just kind of scratch your head at, because he’s definitely good enough to be a starter in this league,” Moon said. “So, yeah, I believe there are some teams that really don’t want him to [start] for them.

“There are some teams probably just turned off completely by him and what he did. And I’m sure he has rubbed some owners the wrong way. He probably won’t get a chance to play at all [even as a backup] for those teams. But I don’t think it’s a leaguewide thing where 32 teams are saying, ‘We don’t want anything to do with him.’ If that were the case, the Seahawks wouldn’t be considering him right now.”

As for who would be a better backup for Wilson, Kaepernick or Griffin, Moon said it’s obvious: Kaepernick.

“Colin has played a high level longer than Griffin, and he doesn’t bring the same injury concerns that RG brings,” Moon said. “If you’re making the call on a backup quarterback, there are a lot of reasons why Colin is the more valuable of the two.”