Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said back in March he believed Colin Kaepernick would wind up signing with a team for the 2017 season.
But could that team be Harbaugh’s?
The Kaepernick debate returned Wednesday when Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt told NBC Sports Radio he wouldn’t hesitate to sign the quarterback if head coach Andy Reid or general manager Brett Veach wanted to. Hunt also said he doesn’t view Kaepernick as a distraction, either.
“Generally, I’m not going to tell our head coach or our GM not to bring in a player if they think that player can bring us some success on the field and make us better,” Hunt said, via Arrowhead Pride. “Now, there are certain circumstances where guys get in trouble off the field and that is something as an organization and as a family, we care about. We’re not going to bring those types of players in. In terms of a player like Colin, I would have no hesitation bringing him into the organization.”
The problem that arises for Kaepernick here, though, is that the Chiefs don’t particularly need him with starting QB Alex Smith in the fold, and Hunt admitted as much. But it does make things interesting for the Ravens, who could be without Joe Flacco until the first week of September due to a back injury.
Harbaugh acknowledged Wednesday the team is interested in Kaepernick, and there’s reason to believe the 29-year-old could be well received in Baltimore. Not only is the city full of rabid football fans, but Baltimore also has a majority black population and has had issues with police brutality. There’s also the fact that nearly 24 percent of Baltimore’s resident live below the poverty line — including 32.6 percent of kids in kindergarten through 12th grade — so the issues Kaepernick stands up for are important to many Baltimoreans.
Kaepernick already has donated $25,000 to a Baltimore-based organization called Leaders of A Beautiful Struggle, a grassroots think-tank that “advances the public policy interest of black people in Baltimore through youth leadership development, political advocacy, and autonomous intellectual innovation.” The donation specifically funded a summer camp for high school students on debate training for public policy.
Thumbnail photo via Neville E. Guard/USA TODAY Sports Images
