Raiders coach Jon Gruden is surprised to see Colin Kaepernick without a job in the NFL, but he’s not necessarily of the belief that he is starting caliber.
“I think there’s a lot of intrigue there. His performance on the field wasn’t very good, on tape,” Gruden said (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez). “I think, Robert Griffin III, a rookie of the year, surprised he’s out there. Tim Tebow, takes a team to the playoffs, there’s some surprise that he never came back. You know, Johnny Manziel, he’s out there. Back to Kaepernick, you know he got beat out by (Blaine Gabbert), to start the (2016) season. I think that says something. (But) I am surprised he’s not in camp with somebody. He probably will be soon.”
Here’s more from the AFC:
- Texans coach Bill O’Brien says quarterback Deshaun Watson is ahead of schedule in ACL rehab and could be on the field throwing for OTAs (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). It’s unlikely that he’ll participate in team periods, but he has a chance at doing some individual workouts.
- The Browns‘ two-year deal with Drew Stanton is worth $6.5MM, a source tells Rapoport (Twitter link). The deal includes $4.15MM fully guaranteed and carries a maximum value of $11.3MM.
- With Tyrod Taylor, Stanton, and a quarterback to be drafted later, the Browns are expected to shop Cody Kessler, Rapoport tweets. Kessler started eight games for Cleveland in 2016, but didn’t necessarily shine. Given Kessler’s performance and the fact that the Browns probably do not have him in their plans, I wouldn’t expect much of a trade market for him.
- The Colts moved down from No. 3 to No. 6, but they do seem inclined to trade down any further unless the expected run on quarterbacks fails to materialize, Stephen Holder of the Indy Star writes. The Colts believe that at least two of this year’s top four quarterbacks (Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen, and Baker Mayfield) will go in the top five, leaving them to choose some of this year’s very best overall talents. If that’s the case, they’re content to stay put. “If it’s beneficial for us, and we think we have a deal that works long term, we’ll make the deal,” GM Chris Ballard said recently. “But (No. 6) is a good spot for us.”
I really wish coaches or GMs would just sign kapernick rather than telling everyone he deserves to be on a roster… I don’t like the guy, and there are reasons he shouldn’t be signed directly and indirectly related to his “protest” but stop talking him up so much and making him out to be more than he is as a player. If you could sign a qb or a backup qb under what you would perceive to be market rate, there are very few teams that wouldn’t make that signing.
It doesn’t hurt to endorse his ability. And some don’t doubt his ability. But all are afraid of the media circus and public backlash that comes with him.
Personally, I don’t want a QB who frequently leaves the pocket.
He’ll never play in the NFL again!!
Politics man
Sad thing is people like Boykin , Nassib, Hoyer get jobs every year but he doesn’t ? Just flat out crap
Why because they didn’t disgrace our country?
Boykin disgraced our country.
Speaking of the Texans, it’s nice to see that Coach respects his players, unlike the old man owner who tends to say these that are quasi-racist in nature.
unlike the old man owner who tends to say *things* that are quasi-racist in nature.
Editing is fun.
Gruden made no sense…just flapping his gums–as usual.
I think The Raiders are in for a surprise. I don’t think Gruden will be the savior they think he is.
He’s going up against long odds. Ten other SB winning coaches have tried to duplicate the feat with another team and none of them succeeded.
Everyone knows that his ability to attract media attention was a major reason why he got hired. I imagine they have him learning Spanish so he can entertain the fans in Mexico too. That should provide some comical moments.