Maybe the book isn’t closed on Colin Kaepernick’s NFL career after all.
Kaepernick, who hasn’t played since the 2016 season, is set to hold a private workout Saturday. All 32 teams are welcome to send a representative, who will be able to interview the 32-year-old in addition to evaluating his on-field work.
Pending Kaepernick still is capable of playing in the league, it will be interesting to see which teams actually kick the tires on the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback. Stephen A. Smith believes one NFC team currently on the outside looking in at the playoff picture should give Kaepernick a legitimate look.
“For me personally, believe it or not, I think there are several, but I think the Chicago Bears,” Smith said Wednesday on ESPN’s “First Take.” “I think the Chicago Bears desperately need another quarterback. They’re desperately looking for another quarterback. They can try to hide it all they want to. They’ve lost belief. Matt Nagy doesn’t believe in Mitchell Trubisky anymore. Nobody in Chi-Town believes in Mitchell Trubisky any longer. Even though he (Trubisky) can run — he’s got some good wheels on him — they ain’t like the wheels Kaepernick got on, I can tell you that much. I think Kaepernick definitely would run with the football effectively. You can look at teams like Buffalo, Tennessee. You know, teams like that could jump out at you, particularly with Buffalo, with a 6-3 record, in position to fight for a playoff spot right now as a wild card. But I would tell you, ultimately when I think about that defense that’s in Chicago and what Colin Kaepernick would bring to the table for them with his athletic ability and just a winning mentality. We know that this guy, at least from what we saw a few years ago, if he’s anything like that, he’s capable of performing in big moments. I wouldn’t rule that out.”
Smith probably is correct in his assumption that Trubisky’s leash in the Windy City is short. But with seven games remaining on their regular-season schedule, bringing on a new starting QB, whether it be Kaepernick or anyone else, might be too great of an undertaking for the Bears. Despite Trubisky’s faults, Chicago probably is best-served rolling with the third-year QB for the remainder of the campaign, which only will give the franchise further clarity over whether there is a future with the No. 2 overall pick from 2017.
That said, there’s reason to believe Chicago will be in the signal-caller market this offseason. But if the Bears choose to go the veteran route in their potential QB search, Cam Newton, whose days with the Carolina Panthers appear to be numbered, probably would be a better option.
