WATCH: Pete Carroll makes surprising statement on Colin Kaepernick
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll commented on the possibility of quarterback Colin Kaepernick making an NFL return while discussing free agency. Carroll brought up Kaepernick while making a point about free agency offering players a “second chance” sometimes, and revealed that he had spoken with the polarizing quarterback about his efforts to return to the field recently.
Pete Carroll on Colin Kaepernick’s comeback efforts
“This is about second opportunities, and free agency kinda marks that deal,” stated Carroll while discussing free agency on Wednesday. “I thought about another guy, you’re gonna’ ask questions about Colin Kaepernick. I know it — somebody just put it out there. He contacted me the other day. Said ‘Hey, I’d like to get a shot, I’m working out.’ He sent me some videos, the next thing I know he’s working out with Tyler Lockett. I don’t know how that happened.
“Does that guy deserve a second shot? I think he does. Somewhere, I don’t know if it’s here. I don’t know where it is. I don’t know if it’s even in football. I don’t know. But it’s just — people get a second opportunity at their lifetime opportunities and they can make the most of it if they’re ready for it.”
Since his departure from the NFL after becoming a free agent in 2017, Kaepernick has drawn attention across the league for his inability to find a new team to play for. Kaepernick became an incredibly divisive topic around the nation after his practice of taking a knee during the national anthem received mainstream attention. While Kaepernick was not released from his previous team, the San Francisco 49ers, due to his protest efforts — his inability to find any team to offer him a contract led to claims that he was blacklisted from the NFL.
Although there have been multiple public efforts and statements from the NFL and teams that expressed interest in giving Kaepernick a deal, he still has not been on an NFL roster since leaving the 49ers. Carroll himself revealed in 2020 that he “regretted” not signing Kaepernick to the Seahawks in 2017, but as his comments on Wednesday explain — the Seahawks aren’t committed to the idea despite interest from Kaepernick himself.