The circus surrounding a potential Colin Kaepernick signing is still in full force, and the Seahawks are taking note — and taking aim at the New York football teams.
Richard Sherman and Michael Bennett — two outspoken players on one of the few teams to take a look at Kaepernick this offseason — look at the Jets and Giants and see double standards as an explanation for why Kaepernick, who knelt for the national anthem last season, is still a free agent.
“Now if you told me this guy threw eight pick-sixes last year and played like a bum, had no talent, that’s one thing,” Sherman told USA Today about Kaepernick, who threw 16 touchdown to four interceptions as a 49er last year. “But Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Mallett or whoever is playing for the Jets right now — whoever is starting for the Jets is terrible — have jobs. You’re telling me fans would rather you lose and put a worse player out there because a guy took a stand? That’s where it’s so troublesome to me.”
The Jets were a speculative destination for Kaepernick, but nothing materialized. Instead, the team chose to go into the year with Josh McCown, Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty battling for the starting job — the setup for a likely tank job being engineered with QB hopes in next year’s draft.
Some have speculated the Jets didn’t as much as sniff at Kaepernick because of their owner, Woody Johnson, who donated heavily to Donald Trump and was picked as ambassador to Great Britain. The president has been vocal in his criticism of Kaepernick’s protesting.
Bennett also blasted the Giants, whose owner, John Mara, made note of the letters he received from fans in vocal opposition to signing Kaepernick.
“There are [accused] rapists and drunk drivers in the league,” said Bennett, a defensive tackle. “But [Kaepernick] is somebody who didn’t do anything to anybody. But you hear owners say, ‘We have to ask our fanbase first.’ But the Giants kept [kicker] Josh Brown [who was suspended last season after documents emerged in which he admitted to domestic violence].”
The Ravens have been publicly debating signing Kaepernick. Head coach John Harbaugh and general manager Ozzie Newsome want to pull the trigger on a signing, but owner Steve Bisciotti is stopping them, according to ESPN.
Baltimore released a statement Wednesday denying that, and the team reportedly is looking into other quarterbacks, including former Georgia standout Aaron Murray.