NFL Rumors: Colin Kaepernick’s Name Surfaces After Joe Burrow’s Injury Creates Quarterback Opening For Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals may have an opening at quarterback after a season-ending injury for Joe Burrow, and many seem to think that Colin Kaepernick would be a good candidate.

On Sunday, the rookie quarterback suffered what is feared to be a torn ACL, which would keep him out for the remainder of the 2020 season and likely into 2021. With the team left with just Ryan Finley and Brandon Allen at quarterback, many have suggested the former San Francisco 49ers signal caller as a fill-in candidate.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote that while the former Super Bowl starter would normally be a good option, it appears the clock has run out for any chance he would have of getting back into the league.

Florio seemed to echo the arguments that Kaepernick made in a famous legal battle, claiming that the NFL and its owners colluded to keep him out of the league following his decision to take a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality against minorities.

“Remember when there was a sense that he’d finally get back in the league? Remember those strange reports that teams were thinking about doing it, even though they never actually talked about it directly with Kaepernick or his agent?” Florio wrote.

“It was an effort to run out the clock, and it worked. The already-obvious strategy to ultimately avoid Kaepernick becomes even more blatant if/when (when) the Bengals fail to call Kaepernick.”

After news of the injury to Burrow and the apparent opening at signal caller, Kaepernick’s name shot to the top of Twitter’s trends. Many took to the site to express their support for his return to football, sharing in the view that he was unfairly kept from competing for open spots.

SB Nation’s Cincy Jungle also mentioned Kaepernick as one of the four potential free agents that Cincinnati could sign after the season-ending injury to their promising rookie, who was the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The report noted that the Bengals had some recent history with Kaepernick, once listed as front-runner to sign him as he was attempting to make a comeback. The team was reportedly one of those that evaluated him during a 2019 workout, Cincy Jungle added.

The outlet also noted his extended hiatus from football may make a signing unlikely.

“One of the best free agent quarterbacks still available has been available for a long time now,” the report said. “A long, long, long time.”