The Seattle Seahawks signed free-agent quarterback Stephen Morris, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, according to a source informed of the situation.
Morris has not taken a regular-season NFL snap since being signed as an undrafted free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014, nfl.com reports. He also spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts, and the Washington Redskins earlier in 2018 before being waived.
The news comes a day after it was made public that Seattle postponed a scheduled workout with Colin Kaepernick, the ex-49ers quarterback who knelt during the national anthem as a silent protest to call attention to racism and police brutality against communities of color. Kaepernick, 30, remains unsigned despite being a former starter.
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A league source told ESPN on Thursday that team officials postponed the trip when the quarterback declined to say he would stop kneeling. But in a separate report, Rapoport said the Seahawks did postpone a visit, but "it was not because he said he [Kaepernick] declined to stop kneeling."
Seattle Times' Seahawks reporter Bob Condotta also said Seattle spoke with Kaepernick earlier in the week, but added that the team hasn't ruled him out as an option and "the hope is he can still be brought in for a visit." But as of Friday, it's unclear if the team has plans to meet with him.
This isn’t the first time Kaepernick has been connected to the Seahawks. The team reportedly brought Kaepernick in for a visit in May 2017, but did not sign him.
“At this time, we didn’t do anything with it, but we know where he is and who he is and we had a chance to understand him much more so. He’s a starter in this league,” Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said at the time. “We have a starter, but he is a starter in this league and I can’t imagine somebody won’t give him a chance to play.”
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The topic of signing Kaepernick was brought up again earlier this month (of note: it was of last year's meeting, and prior to Schefter's report) during an interview between Seahawks general manager John Schneider and Dave Ross on 97.3 KIRO FM.
When asked if Kaepernick was ever seriously considered as the backup quarterback, Schneider said he “absolutely” was, but the team ultimately went in a different direction.
“I don’t think [his activism worked against him]” Schneider said. “We’re concentrating on football. People aren’t going to agree with what you’re doing all the time. You know what I mean? We have to do what we feel is right for our football team and we can’t get into too much about what people are going to think.”
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