John Elway: Broncos Offered Kaepernick a Contract, He Passed

John Elway
AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Denver Broncos GM John Elway says that the Broncs offered former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick a contract, but he turned them down.

Elway, who is serving as Denver’s president of football operations and general manager, was recently asked if he might give Kaepernick a look-see as the team searches for a new backup quarterback, but Elway nixed the idea, ESPN reported.

The Broncos recently demoted Paxton Lynch to No. 3 to give second-year quarterback Chad Kelly a shot at the second spot. But the team is not ruling out the possibility of bringing on another quarterback. With that in mind, Elway was asked about the possibility of signing Kaepernick.

“You know what, and I said this a while ago: Colin had his chance to be here. We offered him a contract. He didn’t take it,” Elway told reporters. “As I said in my deposition … he’s had his chance to be here. He passed it.”

Elway was referring to the deposition he gave in May in the case Kaepernick brought against the NFL alleging that the league, the owners, and coaches have “colluded” to keep him from pursuing his football career.

Elway reportedly met with Kaepernick twice in 2016 trying to work out a trade with the San Francisco 49ers for the quarterback, but the offer would have trimmed his salary by several million per year.

Elway is now saying that Kaepernick was responsible for the deal not going through.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.

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