For a second straight offseason, Colin Kaepernick is struggling to find work in the NFL, but he has not been idle. Kaepernick has played an active role in helping build his collusion case against the NFL.

Kaepernick has already personally sat in on at least a half-dozen depositions involving league and team officials, according to a person familiar with the situation, with several key depositions scheduled for the next couple of weeks.

Kaepernick’s legal team is expected to meet with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell this month as part of the quarterback’s collusion grievance, as the discovery process appears to be picking up steam. Kaepernick appears to be deposing some of the teams that had been linked to him in some fashion over the past year – front offices that ultimately decided to go another direction.

The latest is the Seattle Seahawks, which canceled a workout with Kaepernick this week. The team on Friday instead signed Stephen Morris, a quarterback who’s spent time with three teams, but has never taken an NFL snap. Members of the Seattle organization are expected to sit for depositions this month, including coach Pete Carroll and John Schneider, the team’s general manager.

Some reports have suggested the Seahawks canceled the workout after learning Kaepernick wouldn’t commit to standing during the national anthem. Kaepernick went unsigned all of last season, prompting his collusion grievance against the league. In 2016, he knelt during the anthem before games as a form of protest over racial and social inequalities.

Kaepernick’s grievance will be heard by an independent arbitrator, jointly appointed by the NFL and the NFL Players Association, and the contents of the depositions are not public.

As part of his grievance, in recent weeks, Kaepernick’s team has deposed members of the Baltimore Ravens, including coach John Harbaugh and general manager Ozzie Newsome, Houston owner Bob McNair and Miami general manager Chris Grier. The Ravens considered Kaepernick last summer when Joe Flacco had a back injury, and many speculated Kaepernick could be an option for the Dolphins when Ryan Tannehill injured his knee, but neither team signed him. McNair made headlines last year when he was quoted saying, “We can’t have the inmates running the prison.” His deposition last month reportedly lasted two hours.

Dallas owner Jerry Jones was also deposed on Thursday, news first reported by Yahoo Sports.

With Goodell’s deposition still to come, the player’s legal team has also already deposed Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations, and Arthur McAee, the league’s senior vice president of player engagement.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.