NFL responds to former league executive saying Vikings should sign Colin Kaepernick

The death of George Floyd while in the custody of the Minneapolis police on Monday has rekindled the Colin Kaepernick protests from a few years ago.

Now, protesters across the United States are taking a knee in front of police as a way to honor Mr. Floyd, 46, and pay their respects to Kaepernick.

Meanwhile,  Joe Lockhart, the former NFL executive vice president of communications and currently a political analyst for CNN, indicated on Saturday that the Minnesota Vikings should sign Kaepernick.

“The situation in Minnesota right now offers a unique opportunity to deal with the symbols of racial injustice,” Lockhart wrote in a column for CNN. “As a small but important step, the owners of the Minnesota Vikings, Zygi and Mark Wilf, can send a strong message by offering Colin Kaepernick a contract to play with the Vikings. Bring him into camp, treat him like any of the other players given a chance to play the game they love.”

The irony of it all: The Vikings sign Kaepernick as the city of Minneapolis convulses following Mr. Floyd’s death. While that scenario seems highly unlikely, the NFL figured it made sense to respond to Lockhart on Saturday.

“Colin is a free agent,” NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told Pro Football Talk. “Clubs may sign him if they choose to do so.”

This is obviously the company line the NFL has been pushing since Kaepernick left the league following the 2016 season. It came out in full force last year after the former Super Bowl QB “worked out” for NFL teams.

At this point, the entire situation is drawn out. Kaepernick, 32, is highly unlikely to return to the NFL, though he recently insisted he was still eager to play. He’s now more of a civil rights figure than a football player.