Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reports that the NFL is set to depose Colin Kaepernick on Tuesday in New York as part of the quarterback’s ongoing collusion case against the NFL.
Robinson mentions that this is the first witness the NFL has deposed and league sources have told him that the league is likely to concentrate on Kaepernick’s mental outlook once he entered free agency in March of 2017 and whether he corrupted his free-agent market through a series of factors relating to football skills, contract expectations and motivation to play.
Some of the inquiries that are believed to be on the agenda for NFL lawyers, according to Robinson, include:
- Whether Kaepernick expected to be signed as a starter once he opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers.
- What salary demands he or his representation had in mind early in free agency.
- Whether Kaepernick’s capacity to play diminished due to past injuries.
- How Kaepernick related to coaches or teammates while playing for the 49ers.
- Whether Kaepernick expressed a willingness to continue his professional football career anywhere outside of the NFL.
- Perhaps most pressing (and obvious), whether Kaepernick has ever discovered or been presented with tangible proof that NFL teams or executives sought to eliminate him from playing in the league again.
A source familiar with the proceedings tells Robinson that while this is a significant marker in the collusion case, it doesn’t signal that an end is near and it’s conceivable that this could drag into 2019.
Kaepernick, 30, 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.
Kaepernick visited with the Seahawks last year but left Seattle without an agreement. Since then, there hasn’t been any reported interest in him.
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 had him rated as the No. 27 quarterback out of 36 qualifying players.
We’ll have more regarding Kaepernick’s case against the NFL as the news is available.
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