Pat Kirwan, a Pete Carroll confidant, says he doesn’t think the Seahawks will sign Colin Kaepernick
May 30, 2017, 3:41 PM
Colin Kaepernick visited the Seahawks last week but left Seattle without signing a contract. (AP)
(AP)
Pat Kirwan of SiriusXM NFL Radio has a close relationship with Seahawks coach Pete Carroll dating back to their time together with the Jets. That connection is important context for something Kirwan said Tuesday on his radio show and then repeated on Twitter: he doesn’t think Seattle will sign quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Kirwan’s comments on the matter were stated as an opinion – i.e., his belief that it won’t happen – as opposed to a news report. But given how plugged in Kirwan is with the Seahawks, it would stand to reason that there’s a good chance he was working with some inside information as opposed to merely a gut feeling.
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Kirwan and Carroll go back to the 1990s, when Carroll was coaching with the Jets and Kirwan was in their front office. Kirwan was rumored to be a candidate for a job with the Seahawks when Carroll came to Seattle in 2010, and, as further evidence of their relationship, Carroll wrote the forward to Kirwan’s book that was published the same year. All of which makes him as credible source as any on Seahawks-related information.
To reset the Kaepernick/Seahawks situation, Carroll told 710 ESPN Seattle earlier this month that he was among the backup quarterbacks the team is considering. Defensive lineman Michael Bennett told 710 that he would be in favor of the Seahawks signing Kaepernick, saying he’d be a perfect fit in their locker room and in their offense. After Kaepernick visited the team last Wednesday, Jordan Schultz of the Huffington Post reported that the quarterback “wants to be a Seahawk” and that he’s content with being Russell Wilson’s backup. That suggested a deal was still possible even though Kaepernick left Seattle without signing.
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And it still may be possible. After all, the Seahawks are looking for a backup quarterback – Austin Davis visited the team along with Kaepernick last week – and Kaepernick doesn’t appear to have much of a market, if any market at all, outside of Seattle.
But Kirwan’s comments on Tuesday make it seem less likely than before.
