HOUSTON — Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien says he and general manager Rick Smith have discussed signing Colin Kaepernick in the wake of last week’s season-ending injury to Deshaun Watson.
When asked about Kaepernick on Monday, a day after Tom Savage struggled in a loss to the Colts, O’Brien said: “We talk about the roster and what’s out there every day, Rick and I.”
When pressed on whether they have specifically discussed adding Kaepernick, he said: “Oh yeah, everybody gets discussed.”
Kaepernick, the former 49ers quarterback, began the national anthem protest movement by kneeling last season. He remains unsigned and has filed a complaint that team owners colluded against him because of the protests, which are aimed at police brutality against African-Americans and other social justice issues.
The Texans have not been very active in anthem protests, but the majority of the team knelt during the anthem before a game Oct. 29 at Seattle after a report revealed that team owner Bob McNair said, “We can’t have the inmates running the prison,” during a meeting of NFL owners about players who protest by kneeling. No member of the team knelt this week before Houston’s annual salute-to-service game to honor members of the military.