MONTREAL — Colin Kaepernick has been on the Montreal Alouettes negotiation list for about a month but Kavis Reed doesn’t know if the former NFL quarterback will ever step on to a CFL field.
Reed, Montreal’s GM/interim head coach, reached out to Kaepernick’s representatives shortly after putting the former San Francisco 49er on the CFL team’s 45-man negotiation list. Reed basically provided the Kaepernick camp information about the situation but said Wednesday he has yet to hear back and hasn’t spoken directly to Kaepernick.
"There’s been no conversation about Colin coming here," Reed said. "It was just to let them know we had his rights and if there was anything they were interested in to get back to us.
"There’s been no call back from his agent … that’s where it stands."
Montreal placed Kaepernick on its negotiation list after the Hamilton Tiger-Cats released the former NFL player from theirs. The Ticats reportedly made their decision after Kaepernick’s representatives made it clear he had no interest in coming to the CFL.
The six-foot-four, 230-pound Kaepernick spent six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers before opting out of his contract earlier this year. He remains unemployed.
A 2011 second-round draft pick, Kaepernick threw for 12,271 yards with 72 TDs and 30 interceptions with the 49ers. He led the club to Super Bowl XLVII where it lost 34-31 to the Baltimore Ravens.
Kaepernick posted a 28-20 record as San Francisco’s starter. But the 29-year-old made headlines last year when he refused to stand for the U.S. national anthem to protest racial inequality in the United States.
"We vetted (placing Kaepernick on negotiation list) with our president and ownership because we understood this was a high-profile guy who comes with a lot of attention and whether or not we wanted to go down that path," Reed said. "We all agreed we would because of the talent."
Kaepernick played collegiately at the University of Nevada and Reed said his skillset has the potential to translate positively to the Canadian game. He threw for 2,241 yards with 16 TDs and four interceptions in 11 starts last year but also ran for 468 yards and two touchdowns and that ability to roll out of the pocket would be a definite advantage in the CFL.
"The fact that he comes from the University of Nevada and the zone-read concept, he’s very well versed in that game," Reed said. "The University of Nevada’s football style is very akin to the CFL offensive style and so that’s the intrigue with him."
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