'Somebody is going to step up': Kaepernick lawyer says NFL outcast looks set for return
Colin Kaepernick's NFL exile could soon be coming to an end, according to the player's lawyer, who has linked his client with potential deals with the Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots and a third, unnamed, team.
Kaepernick settled his 'collusion' case against the NFL in a confidential agreement last week that is rumored to have netted the former San Francisco 49ers star a colossal financial windfall.
Also on rt.com Kaepernick accused of 'selling out' as NFL collusion case settlement ‘could net him up to $80mn’And now Kaepernick's lawyer Mark Geragos has appeared on CNN to state that the player, who hasn't featured in the NFL since the 2016 season, is ready to return and "absolutely wants to play."
"I'm going to make a bold prediction that one of three teams picks him up," he said.
Geragos suggested that the Carolina Panthers would be a "natural place" for Kaepernick to land, given the fact that the team already signed Kaepernick's former 49ers teammate Eric Reid, who knelt side by side with him during his social injustice protests.
"I think the natural would be if [injured Panthers quarterback] Cam Newton is out, then the natural place to be is to play with Eric in Carolina."
Geragos also said he believed the current Super Bowl champion New England Patriots may be considering Kaepernick as an additional option to support aging superstar play-caller Tom Brady.
"I think you're going to see... within the next two weeks that somebody is going to step up and do the right thing," he explained.
"And you want me to predict who?
"Besides the Panthers, it would not surprise me if [New England Patriots owner] Bob Kraft makes a move.
"That would not surprise me. And it would not surprise me if his former coach also makes a move."
That former coach reference may point to Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, who coached the Patriots under Kraft's ownership earlier in his career.
Despite missing two full seasons of NFL action, Kaepernick is still only 31 years of age, and with a host of NFL quarterbacks playing deep into the 30s and, in some cases, beyond, Geragos says Kaepernick has plenty of miles left on the clock as a top-drawer quarterback.
"He absolutely wants to play. He wants to compete at the highest level," said Geragos.
"This is not someone who is over the hill. You get smarter at the position, and he is wise beyond his years."
