Pete Carroll said Colin Kaepernick contacted him about trying out for Seahawks

Pete Carroll is ready for Colin Kaepernick to get a second chance in the NFL.

Despite his own quarterback needs, Carroll isn’t sure if that’s with the Seattle Seahawks.

Carroll said Wednesday that Kaepernick contacted him recently and asked for a chance to try out for the team. Though Carroll said Kaepernick deserves a second chance in the league, he doesn’t “know if it’s here” in Seattle.

Kaepernick hasn’t played in the league since 2016, when he first started kneeling during the national anthem to protest social justice issues in the United States while he was on the San Francisco 49ers. Those protests, now common and accepted across sports, drew intense backlash, including from then-President Donald Trump.

Kaepernick’s protest essentially led to him being blackballed from the league. He filed a grievance against the NFL, along with former teammate Eric Reid, where he claimed that team owners colluded to keep him out due to the backlash from his protests. They settled that grievance in 2019.

Seahawks could use Colin Kaepernick

While Carroll may not be willing to admit it, the Seahawks could certainly use Kaepernick this fall.

The Seahawks officially traded longtime quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos on Wednesday, and now need a new starting quarterback.

Kaepernick, 34, has said that he’s been training nonstop for a potential return to the league. He’s posted multiple clips of him working out in recent days, and just worked out with Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett earlier this week.

According to Lockett, that went incredibly well.

“Yessir!! That man Kap is ready!!” Lockett tweeted.

Kaepernick may not be the right fit for Carroll and his offense, and the team could go in another direction this fall. But Kaepernick is apparently eager to give it a go in Seattle if given an opportunity.