NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told ESPN that he supports and encourages teams giving quarterback Colin Kaepernick a chance to resume his pro football career.
With a Kaepernick comeback seemingly inevitable, NFL.com’s Jeffri Chadiha took a look at five teams that would be logical fits for the former San Francisco 49ers field general, and the Houston Texans were one of those clubs.
From a football perspective, it would be the ideal quarterback room for Kaepernick to get re-acclimated to the league. Deshaun Watson is the entrenched starter and A.J. McCarron’s role as backup quarterback is secure. There wouldn’t be any pressure on Kaepernick to save the day; it would be akin to 2009 when the Philadelphia Eagles signed Michael Vick to be their No. 2 quarterback. Third-year signal caller Kevin Kolb filled in for two games, and it wasn’t until 2010 that Vick took over as the starting quarterback due to injuries to Kolb.
Signing Kaepernick would also elevate the Texans’ social justice stock, which is already on the rise given coach Bill O’Brien’s intent to kneel during the national anthem, defensive end J.J. Watt’s considering kneeling, and owner Cal McNair being the only Texas NFL owner to date to speak out about like-minded issues.
There some ancillary benefits here. Houston is the city where George Floyd grew up and the Texans dealt with plenty of controversy related to player protests in 2017. The infamous comments made by now-deceased owner Bob McNair during that tumultuous year — McNair said “We can’t have the inmates running the prison” in a discussion about protests among owners and NFL executives, though he stated those words were taken out of context in an ensuing apology — nearly resulted in outright revolt within that franchise. O’Brien had to do major damage control back then. The presence of Kaepernick might help heal a lot of old wounds and there certainly wouldn’t be much concern about his views on social injustice inside the locker room. Watson was among the group of players who posted a video demanding that the league make amends for how players who protested were treated in years past. He also just led a petition that resulted in his alma mater, Clemson, removing the name of a prominent racist figure from an on-campus building. Add in wide receiver Kenny Stills — who’s been extremely vocal on these same issues since 2016 — and Kaepernick doesn’t seem like a radical acquisition at all. If anything, he would fit right in.
Playing special teams may not be an issue for Kaepernick as it was for Joe Webb, the third quarterback on the roster from 2018-19. With the roster expanding to 55 men, the Texans could stash three quarterbacks without having to make considerations for special teams contribution.