Roger Goodell: ‘I ... support ... and encourage’ a team signing Colin Kaepernick

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made an appearance on ESPN’s “Return To Sports” programming Monday evening, and he told Mike Greenberg, he supports and encourages a team signing free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

“Well, listen, if he wants to resume his career in the NFL, then obviously it’s going to take a team to make that decision,” Goodell said. “But I welcome that, support a club making that decision and encourage them to do that.

Kaepernick has remained a free agent since March of 2017. He opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers, although it is worth repeating that the team was planning on releasing him if he did not opt out. By opting out, he could hit free agency earlier and potentially sign with another team. Of course, as we saw, teams have mostly avoided him. He has had talks with teams but none were willing to take the next step toward signing him.

Kaepernick has repeatedly made it clear he wants to resume his career in the NFL, going so far as to organize a workout in Atlanta last November. Anybody saying they’re not sure if Kaepernick wants to play is being disingenuous.

There has been plenty of talk about teams that make sense for Kaepernick. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler discussed the Titans, Chargers, and Washington based on their situations and depth charts. However, there have been no reports of teams taking the steps to bring Kaepernick in for a workout or otherwise discuss a potential contract.

The NFL tentatively returns to training camp at the end of July, leaving six weeks for a team to get him in to compete at a full training camp.