Mass. Rep. Joe Kennedy Calls For Patriots to Sign QB Colin Kaepernick

Kaepernick is reportedly "more motivated to play than ever" in the NFL.

Massachusetts congressman Joe Kennedy made an endorsement earlier this week in regards to the state's professional football team, the New England Patriots.

"The NFL should apologize to Colin Kaepernick and the Patriots should sign him," Kennedy wrote on Twitter. 

The NFL should apologize to Colin Kaepernick and the Patriots should sign him.

— Joe Kennedy III (@joekennedy) June 9, 2020

Amid the riots and protesting over the past week around the country is the realization that one particular former NFL player had the right idea all along. That player would be Colin Kaepernick, who was seemingly shunned from the league after kneeling during the national anthem for several games during the 2016 season in an effort to peacefully protest against racial inequality in the country. That's why the NFL - specifically Roger Goodell - released a video statement last week saying that the league condemns racism and the systematic oppression of black people, and that they were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encouraging all to speak out and peacefully protest (ie Kaepernick). 

Because of this, many fans, players and others alike are calling for teams to give Kaepernick a chance to play football again in the NFL, and according to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, Kaepernick is "more motivated to play than ever" to play again. 

The New England Patriots will have a quarterback competition on their hands this summer now that Tom Brady is gone. Though Jarrett Stidham is the projected starter, and some feel it wouldn't be wise to bring in better competition other than Brian Hoyer to fight for the starting job, Kaepernick could bring a unique skill set to the team that could provide value even if he didn't earn snaps on game day. But the real question that remains is if Kaepernick - who will have a hard time becoming the starter if he were to join the Patriots - would be worth the noise if he's not playing on game day.