Post by MOnarchsRule on Nov 26, 2019 19:48:40 GMT -5
Arrowhead Stadium — The Kansas City Monarchs made a surprising roster move on Tuesday, signing Colin Kaepernick and releasing backup quarterback Nik Shimonek. Kaepernick, 32, an NFL second-round pick in 2011, played his college ball at the University of Nevada. After being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers, he became a free agent after the 2016 season was not re-signed. Kaepernick was involved in a grievance lawsuit against the NFL but reached a settlement in February of this year. Colin had a workout in Atlanta last weekend. Turns out, one of the guys who worked out with him was KC Monarch and XFL 1st Team All-Pro, Brice Butler. Days later, he worked out with the Monarchs and the team liked what they saw.
"He’s definitely a player that we’ve looked at in the past and have looked at all through preseason," Monarchs coach Matt Nagy said. "We just had the opportunity to bring him in and take a closer look. He’s an athletic guy. He’s a big guy. He’s got a strong arm. He can do some of the movement stuff, so just a skill set that we thought was fitting to some of the things that we do.”
It's unclear whether Kaepernick will immediately move into KC's backup quarterback role, or will slot behind former AAF QB Luis Perez, who was signed near the end of last season. Regardless, it's a unique situation, since neither player spent training camp with the Monarchs and the team is presumably trying to evaluate one, or both, as a longer-term solution behind starter Case Keenum. "We put them in certain situations (in practice) for them to show us the skill sets that they have," Nagy said. "And practice is very competitive. It's one of the reasons we have competitive practices is to make the team better. That's not only the guys that play on Sundays, but that's everybody that's on our team."
"As far as Colin is concerned, he did everything we asked," team owner Sean Calliard said. " I have all the respect in the world for what he is doing for the community, and plan to support him in his efforts. Make no mistake, this is a football move. We believe in his ability, his competitive nature and the way he conducts himself. We believe the NFL's loss is the XFL's gain. We're always doing whatever we can to help the team."
"He’s definitely a player that we’ve looked at in the past and have looked at all through preseason," Monarchs coach Matt Nagy said. "We just had the opportunity to bring him in and take a closer look. He’s an athletic guy. He’s a big guy. He’s got a strong arm. He can do some of the movement stuff, so just a skill set that we thought was fitting to some of the things that we do.”
It's unclear whether Kaepernick will immediately move into KC's backup quarterback role, or will slot behind former AAF QB Luis Perez, who was signed near the end of last season. Regardless, it's a unique situation, since neither player spent training camp with the Monarchs and the team is presumably trying to evaluate one, or both, as a longer-term solution behind starter Case Keenum. "We put them in certain situations (in practice) for them to show us the skill sets that they have," Nagy said. "And practice is very competitive. It's one of the reasons we have competitive practices is to make the team better. That's not only the guys that play on Sundays, but that's everybody that's on our team."
"As far as Colin is concerned, he did everything we asked," team owner Sean Calliard said. " I have all the respect in the world for what he is doing for the community, and plan to support him in his efforts. Make no mistake, this is a football move. We believe in his ability, his competitive nature and the way he conducts himself. We believe the NFL's loss is the XFL's gain. We're always doing whatever we can to help the team."