Colin Kaepernick throws a pass during a private NFL workout held at Charles R. Drew High School in Riverdale, Ga., on Nov. 16, 2019. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was passed over by the injury-plagued Detroit Lions, a team that has lost starting quarterback Matthew Stafford and now backup quarterback Jeff Driskel to injuries.
The team signed 25-year-old quarterback Kyle Sloter from the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad over the weekend. Driskel, 26, was placed on injured reserve, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Joe Callahan, 26, was also signed onto the Lions practice squad as a backup quarterback.
The Lions were one of the teams to attend Kaepernick’s public workout last month. The Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, Washington Redskins, San Francisco 49ers, and Tennessee Titans also attended the workout, Fox News reported.
The NFL attempted to set up the workout for Kaepernick, who has not played in the NFL for nearly three years after opting out of his contract with the 49ers. He is perhaps best known for his kneeling protests during the playing of the national anthem which drew considerable backlash and boycott threats from fans.
However, Kaepernick moved the workout at the last minute to the chagrin of the NFL, causing a league spokesperson to express disappointment over the move.
The 32-year old blasted the league and called on it and its commissioner, Roger Goodell, to “stop running.”
Analysts noted that the NFL’s move to organize a workout for teams is highly unusual.
“I have been around the NFL—as an agent, team executive and analyst—for close to 30 years and have never seen the league set up an individual player workout. Teams and agents set up workouts; the NFL does not set up workouts. This was unprecedented,” sports business analyst Andrew Brandt wrote in Sports Illustrated.
Colin Kaepernick during the Colin Kaepernick NFL workout held at Charles R. Drew High School in Riverdale, Ga., on Nov. 16, 2019. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
A reporter from ESPN on Nov. 24 revealed there has been “absolutely zero” interest in the free-agent quarterback following the workout.
“Zero. Absolutely zero. The workout last week did absolutely nothing to enhance the chances that Colin Kaepernick is going to wind up with another team,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said.
“There hasn’t been a team that has requested a visit. There hasn’t been a team that has expressed interest in signing him. So, despite the fact that one week ago we saw Colin Kaepernick work out at the high school down in the Atlanta area, it has not translated into any results, and though the league wanted to try to help out, at least said it was trying to help out, nothing’s come of it. Colin Kaepernick’s wait continues and it looks like it’s going to be continuing for a very, very, very long time,” he said, according to Bleacher Report.
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
