With former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick on the brink of releasing a new book, he’s been talking a little more than usual as part of the promotion. That has prompted others to have a few things to say, too.
One voice was somewhat unexpected. Giants coach John Harbaugh has spoken at length to Ian O’Connor of The Athletic regarding the Ravens’ interest in Kaepernick after he became a free agent in 2017.
With Kaepernick’s former 49ers coach, Jim Harbaugh, coaching at Michigan — and believing that a team could win “championships” with Kaepernick, John Harbaugh was very intrigued.
John Harbaugh also vividly remembered what happened in Super Bowl XLVII, when Baltimore barely held off a Kaepernick-led second-half comeback attempt.
“In that Super Bowl, he was really a nightmare to defend,” John Harbaugh told O’Connor.
The biggest complication at the time related to Kaepernick’s weekly protests in 2016, which sparked a broader wave of players taking a stand by not standing during the national anthem. And a significant public backlash from a sizable chunk of NFL fans.
“In all honesty, that wasn’t a factor,” John Harbaugh told O’Connor. “Yeah, there was conversation that there’s going to be a certain percentage of the fanbase that’s not going to appreciate this, but we decided that wasn’t going to be our driving factor.”
For the Ravens, who still had Super Bowl XLVII MVP Joe Flacco under contract, the attraction to Kaepernick was undeniable.
“His talent, and also the fact I had inside information as to who he was from my brother,” John Harbaugh told O’Connor. “We talked a lot about him, and I’d met Kap many times, had numerous conversations with him because of that. We talked about it at length as an organization, and we liked the fit. . . . The bottom line is your quarterback has to make plays for you, and Colin Kaepernick proved he could do that.”
The potential signing of Kaepernick became derailed for reasons that still remain fuzzy. His girlfriend, Nessa Diab, posted an image of franchise legend Ray Lewis and team owner Steve Bisciotti, after reports emerged that Bisciotti resisted the notion of embracing Kaepernick. After that, the visit never happened.
Even if Kaepernick’s visit to Baltimore had happened, there would have been complications. Flacco was the starter. Kaepernick would have been the backup, with a contract reflecting his status. At the time, Kaepernick believed he should still be a starter; would he have accepted a secondary role?
If Kaepernick and the Ravens had joined forces, the ensuing butterfly effect could have resulted in the Ravens not trading back into the bottom of round one to acquire two-time MVP Lamar Jackson in April 2018. On that topic, Harbaugh said “we probably would’ve still drafted Lamar for the opportunity to have two guys like that.”
Still, no one knows what would have happened without knowing how Kaepernick would have performed. In 2017, the Ravens went 9-7 and missed the playoffs; Flacco was so-so. If Kaepernick had gotten a chance to play that year and if he had played well, who knows? He could have been the clear-cut No. 1 entering 2018, perhaps making them less inclined to draft Jackson.
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