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The NFL announced Tuesday that the league is hosting a workout and interview session for free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick on Saturday. The workout and interview will take place in Atlanta.
All of the league’s 32 teams have been invited to the event and the Denver Broncos will be represented by a scout, general manager John Elway told KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis on Wednesday. Klis’ report was confirmed by The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala.
The news is a little surprising given Elway’s tone on Kaepernick when he was asked about the QB last year.
“I said this a while ago: Colin had his chance to be here,” Elway said during a training camp press conference in August 2018. “We offered him a contract [and] he didn’t take it.”
Elway was referencing the 2016 offseason when Denver tried to trade for Kaepernick when he was still a member of the San Francisco 49ers. As part of the deal, the Broncos wanted the QB to take a significant pay cut. Kaepernick opted not to take a reduced salary.
“He had his chance to be here,” Elway said last August. “He passed [on] it.”
After missing out on Kaepernick, Denver selected Paxton Lynch in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft. Lynch, Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler, Case Keenum, Joe Flaco and Brandon Allen have all started games for the Broncos since then and Drew Lock might be added to the list later this year.
Kaepernick tried to prove that NFL owners colluded not to sign him in part because of his national anthem protests during the 2016 season and Elway was among league executives who were deposed in the lawsuit. The NFL reached a settlement with Kaepernick earlier this year.
Denver has been unable to find a good QB in the post-Peyton Manning era so taking a look at Kaepernick makes sense. The 32-year-old QB threw 16 touchdown passes and four interceptions in 12 games in 2016, the last year he played in the NFL. He has remained a free agent since 2017.
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