The Dallas Cowboys have a major issue at quarterback moving forward after Dak Prescott fractured his right thumb in Sunday night’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While the Cowboys will likely go with Cooper Rush as the starting quarterback and Will Grier as his backup, ESPN star Stephen A. Smith floated the possibility of the team taking a flier on Colin Kaepernick. Smith said he didn’t think it would ever happen but broached the topic anyway.
"You know what, this is a different subject for another day maybe. It will never happen, in my opinion … might want to make that call to Colin Kaepernick," Smith said on "First Take" Monday. "Might want to find out. He ain’t been around but he’s a playmaker with his legs who’s available, you gotta take that into consideration."
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Smith said he didn’t think it would go over well with Cowboys fans in Texas, alluding to Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and the U.S., and claimed the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback’s message was "hijacked."
"But I would think about it, I would say that. But getting back to reality, because I don’t think that’s reality," he added.
Michael Irvin, the former Cowboys superstar wide receiver completely brushed off the narrative of Kaepernick playing in the NFL.
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"Let’s stop with this Colin Kaepernick stuff. Let’s just stop. Colin Kaepernick’s been out of football for what five years now," Irvin said. "Come on, man. Let’s stop all of a sudden thinking we can go resurrect Colin Kaepernick and he’s going to come and resurrect a football team. I’ll take my chances with Cooper Rush. I will take my chances with Cooper Rush.
"I saw Cooper Rush win a football game last year. That’s all I’m saying."
Smith said he brought the topic up because "five different people" put it into his ear.
Kaepernick hasn’t played since the 2016 season but has maintained he’s staying ready just in case a team calls.
The former 49ers quarterback ignited a firestorm during the 2016 season by kneeling during the national anthem before games to protest against racial and social injustice. He left the 49ers after the season and failed to sign with another team. He accused NFL owners of collaborating to keep him out of the league, a claim he later settled with the league.
He started the Know Your Rights camp to "advance the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities through education, self-empowerment, mass-mobilization and the creation of new systems that elevate the next generation of change leaders."
In recent years, he’s been trying to get back into the league after comparing the NFL Draft to a slave auction, calling for the abolition of prisons, and supporting the defund the police movement.
