To be frank, the chances of Colin Kaepernick signing with the New England Patriots were always very slim.
But Patriots owner Robert Kraft didn't exactly slam the door on a recent report connecting the free agent quarterback to his team.
The New York Times' Devin Gordon asked Kraft in a recent interview about an unconfirmed mid-September report that the Patriots had talked to Kaepernick about potentially signing him as a backup. Here's how Kraft handled the question:
"In the interview, Mr. Kraft called the report a 'rumor' that had originated with a lawyer in Kaepernick’s camp," Gordon wrote, "but when asked if that meant the report was untrue, he paused for three seconds. 'I’m done talking about it,' he said finally."
That's certainly not a confirmation that any discussions took place, but it's also not a denial, either.
The initial report did seem suspect: Kaepernick's attorney, Mark Geragos, hinted to TMZ in September that two NFL teams could be interested in signing his client, then made a cryptic reference to rapper Meek Mill -- who Kraft visited in prison -- to insinuate one of those clubs was the Patriots.
Basically, it would have been an easy report for Kraft to squash, but for whatever reason, the Patriots owner pulled back.
New England Patriots
Of course, this is all water under the bridge now. Kaepernick hasn't played an NFL snap since 2016 as he continues to raise awareness of racial inequality and police violence against minorities in America, while New England appears content with Brian Hoyer as its backup for ageless quarterback Tom Brady.
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