Redskins Possibly in Play for Kaepernick?

Could Colin Kaepernick be connected to the Washington Redskins, a new fallout of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Should the Redskins sign Colin Kaepernick? They were mentioned as a possible fit for his services Saturday morning on ESPN.

The answer in any reasonable opinion should be no! 

The Redskins should not waste Kaepernick's time (or theirs) and make a fractured fan base even more split. 

If you didn't click through - here's what Jeremy Fowler of ESPN said about Kaepernick and a possible connection to the Redskins. 

"There's been some healthy buzz that he could potentially get a job," Fowler said via 24/7 Sports. "And so, with Seattle coach Pete Carroll floating that a team called about Kaepernick, I asked league sources who did they think would be that team right now, who's the best fit for him and a couple options? Tennessee Titans, because they love to run that play action. (Starter) Ryan Tannehill using his athleticism, they don't have that natural backup right now. So that would be a good fit.

"And then the (lack) of quarterback quality — places like Washington, Jacksonville. Those are options, potentially. And then the Los Angeles Chargers because they have (first-round pick) Justin Herbert, the rookie. If they want to give him a true redshirt year, they could roll with (veteran) Tyrod Taylor, an athletic quarterback, with Kaepernick right behind him."

So let's hit the rewind button. 

Fowler's sources weren't saying for sure that the Redskins were involved, only that it was their opinion that Washington was an option. 

It's easy to understand why someone from the outside would look at the Redskins and say they have a bunch of question marks at the position. That's more than fair. 

I have less questions right now than I did in February about Dwayne Haskins, but I still need to see a lot more. 

Ron Rivera and the Carolina Panthers signed Eric Reid as a free agent a few years ago, under no restrictions and in Rivera's words - "we went and decided we were going to sign Eric only on football. We weren’t going to talk to him about what his intent was as far as the anthem goes or after."

However, what I keep going back to is this: The quarterback position is very different than the safety position. 

It takes a lot more to play one position than the other and if Kaepernick was a wide receiver, I believe he would have a better chance. 

Quarterback is a different beast for many reasons. 

Kaepernick had every right to protest police brutality. You can disagree or agree with his use of the national anthem and flag as a vehicle for his platform and mission.

Clearly there are many that support and many that criticize and that's not going to change. 

Bringing Kaepernick into an organization that has been woeful for the better part of 28 years is a very risky situation. 

Doug Williams was a special guest of RedskinsReport.com on Friday evening and said about Kaepernick's chances of landing an NFL job after so long - "That's certainly going to depend on the team, Chris.

"You know, do I think he's good enough or was good enough or is good enough to play in the league? Yeah.

"He certainly won't be the worst quarterback in the National Football League but it all depends on who wants to give him that opportunity.

"Somebody asked me the other day - what about the Redskins," Williams said. 

 "Our situation is a little different than a whole lot of people at this particular time. Why didn't we bring him in when you had an opportunity to bring him in?

"We all have to be fair with ourselves, from the standpoint of this -  everyone was doubting, a lot of people were doubting (inaudible) and being in this surrounding area, a big military area, the idea that the guy down on Pennsylvania Avenue making a big deal out of it -- it wouldn't have been fair to the kid, it wouldn't be fair to us and the surrounding area to try and bring him in."

Rivera's leadership and integrity could make it work. Social distancing and safety rules could make it harder for national outlets to cover the situation as they would have in the past. 

What many proponents of Kaepernick will never admit is how much of a circus the media coverage would be. For probably a backup quarterback. 

What kind of effect will that big top atmosphere have on a locker room, a building and a culture? Trust me, it would be a nightmare to deal with in every sense of the word and not one single proponent of Kaepernick will ever face that reality. 

That's a huge element in my mind. 

The other is this: With Haskins, Kyle Allen, Alex Smith and Steven Montez under contract - where would Kaepernick fit?

He wouldn't unless Smith could not play, which is the likely scenario but not definitive yet. 

Oh and one more thing: If the Redskins need a veteran quarterback and Cam Newton hasn't signed with anyone yet, you can bet a million dollars and maybe more that Rivera would choose Newton over Kaepernick. 

I don't think I have to explain that but if you need a reminder  - here you go. 

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Chris Russell is the Publisher of RedskinsReport.com & Sports Illustrated's Washington Redskins channel. He can be heard on 106.7 The FAN in the Washington D.C. area and world-wide on Radio.com. Chris also hosts the "Locked on Redskins" Podcast and can be read via subscription to Warpath Magazine. You can e-mail Chris at russellmania09@Gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @Russellmania621.