John Harbaugh: Addition Of David Olson Doesn’t Preclude Ravens From Signing Colin Kaepernick

Ravens HC John Harbaugh told reporters on Friday that their recent decision to sign QB David Olson doesn’t preclude them from bringing in free agent QB Colin Kaepernick, per Jamison Hensley.

Instead, Harbaugh explained that it will depend on the status of QB Joe Flacco, who is currently day to day with a back injury.

Olson will likely serve as a training camp arm while Kaepernick would likely be brought in Flacco was expected to miss some time and felt like they needed more depth at the position to go along with Ryan Mallett.

On Thursday, Harbaugh told reporters on Thursday that he has been talking to Kaepernick throughout the summer and they’re currently exploring the possibility of signing him to a contract, per Jeff Zrebiec.

“I’ve known Colin through my brother for many years. And we talked and then got to know him very well when he scrimmaged here,” Harbaugh said, per Ian Rapoport. “He and I have been talking throughout the summer a number of times. We had some great conversations on the phone and it’s really been a pleasure to talk to him and get to know him. I like history and politics too, and we’ve had some debates, and it’s been fun. And he’s a great guy. He’s a guy right now that’s being talked about. We’ll just see what happens with that. Only speculation right now. He’s a really good player and like I said, I do believe he’ll be playing in the National Football League this year.”

There’s a connection between Kaepernick and the Ravens, given that he previously played for John Harbaugh’s brother, Jim, and running-game coordinator Greg Roman while in San Francisco.

Kaepernick worked out for the Seahawks over a month ago, but left without a deal. It was likely going to take an injury for some team to bring him and this is at least something to watch, depending on how Flacco responds to his back injury.

Kaepernick, 29, is a former second-round pick of the 49ers back in 2010. He was in the third year of his seven-year, $126.97 million contract that included $61 million guaranteed when reached an agreement with the 49ers on a restructured deal.

In 2016, Kaepernick has completed 59.2 percent of his passes for 2,241 yards and 16 touchdowns and four interceptions, while adding 468 yards rushing. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 27 quarterback out of 36 qualifying players.

We have him featured in our Top 50 Available Free Agents list.