The Baltimore Ravens have been in the midst of an internal debate on whether or not to bring one of the most polarizing figures in sports in as their backup quarterback.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore has been a place where NFL players who have had controversy, have come to re-establish their careers. One such player who has been in the spotlight has been free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Kaepernick has been notable for his protests against police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem. In addition, Kaepernick has worn socks depicting police officers as pigs. Despite this, Kaepernick has been a talented football player in the past and could help a team in the future.
One such player that believes in Kaepernick is Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco. Flacco went down with a back injury earlier in the week and there have been internal discussions as to whether Baltimore should bring in Kaepernick as a backup. He just stopped at an endorsement of Kaepernick to sign with Baltimore.
“I would like to see Colin get back in [the NFL] and, at some point, maybe get another shot [to be a starter],” said Flacco, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. “I wouldn’t like that to be here. I do not want him to get another shot [to be a starter] here, but yes, he can come here and have some fun. I think it would be a good spot for him.”
The two were a part of a McDonald’s Super Bowl commercial together in 2013. Flacco being the competitor that he is, doesn’t want Kaepernick to come in for his starting position. However, he does believe that Baltimore would be a good fit.
Kaepernick has ties with the Harbaugh family, with Jim Harbaugh being his head coach in San Francisco with the 49ers. He has also been one of his biggest advocates and supporters. John Harbaugh is the head coach of Baltimore and he has also been impressed with Kaepernick.
“He’s a really good football player,” [John] Harbaugh said on Thursday, per Hensley. “I believe he’s a really good person. It all depends on a lot of things. It depends on Colin first of all and what’s his passion, what’s his priority, what’s he want to do, what kind of shape he’s in. So we’ll just see where it goes. I don’t think it’s different for us than any other team.”
John isn’t the only tie to the team that Kaepernick has. His former offensive coordinator in San Francisco, Greg Roman, is now the senior offensive assistant and tight ends coach with the Ravens. It is surely a possibility that Kaepernick could be added to Baltimore’s roster and shouldn’t be ruled out.
Bylines at Fox Sports 1340 AM, Bullets Forever, Baltimore Beatdown, Underdog Dynasty and many other sites.