The Broncos were interested in Kaepernick less than a year ago
In 2018, Denver Broncos general manager John Elway was bullish about the fact that Colin Kaepernick had passed on his chance to be in Denver.
"“You know what, and I said this a while ago: Colin had his chance to be here. We offered him a contract. He didn’t take it. As I said in my deposition … he’s had his chance to be here. He passed it.” John Elway via ESPN"
Many people have been referencing this quote from Elway in regards to the team’s current position when it comes to potentially signing him, but is that really the case?
The Broncos were one of a short list of teams who were on the field for Kaepernick’s strange workout session organized by the NFL last season, a workout that was ultimately relocated which forced top pro scout Jordan Dizon to miss it entirely.
With that said, the Broncos RSVP’d and were in attendance before the scheduling conflict.
Their attendance there didn’t necessarily mean they would have signed him on the spot, but the fact that the Broncos were one of the teams interested in watching him work out — even if it was just a convenient stop for Dizon on the way to Miami — is significant.
Vic Fangio does not have final say in personnel moves, but John Elway and Matt Russell definitely seem to trust him when it comes to roster decisions. Fangio isn’t scouring the free agent market, necessarily, but he will give his opinions on guys and one example of that was the Broncos signing Mike Purcell last offseason because of his familiarity with Fangio.
The fact of the matter is, the Broncos have shown interest in Kaepernick more recently than John Elway has shut the idea down, and you had better believe Dizon wasn’t going to that workout by his own volition.
Something shifted for the Broncos and Kaepernick between 2018 and 2019, and Fangio’s presence is hard to ignore in that regard.
Whether it’s as the backup to Drew Lock or the third-string quarterback, the Broncos should be the team that signs Colin Kaepernick and brings him back into the NFL.