With former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick on the brink of releasing a new book, he’s been talking a little more than usual as part of the promotion. That has prompted others to have a few things to say, too.
One voice was somewhat unexpected. Giants coach John Harbaugh has spoken at length to Ian O’Connor of The Athletic regarding the Ravens’ interest in Kaepernick after he became a free agent in 2017.
With Kaepernick’s former 49ers coach, Jim Harbaugh, coaching at Michigan — and believing that a team could win “championships” with Kaepernick, John Harbaugh was very intrigued.
John Harbaugh also vividly remembered what happened in Super Bowl XLVII, when Baltimore barely held off a Kaepernick-led second-half comeback attempt.
“In that Super Bowl, he was really a nightmare to defend,” John Harbaugh told O’Connor.
The biggest complication at the time related to Kaepernick’s weekly protests in 2016, which sparked a broader wave of players taking a stand by not standing during the national anthem. And a significant public backlash from a sizable chunk of NFL fans.
“In all honesty, that wasn’t a factor,” John Harbaugh told O’Connor. “Yeah, there was conversation that there’s going to be a certain percentage of the fanbase that’s not going to appreciate this, but we decided that wasn’t going to be our driving factor.”
For the Ravens, who still had Super Bowl XLVII MVP Joe Flacco under contract, the attraction to Kaepernick was undeniable.
“His talent, and also the fact I had inside information as to who he was from my brother,” John Harbaugh told O’Connor. “We talked a lot about him, and I’d met Kap many times, had numerous conversations with him because of that. We talked about it at length as an organization, and we liked the fit. . . . The bottom line is your quarterback has to make plays for you, and Colin Kaepernick proved he could do that.”
The potential signing of Kaepernick became derailed for reasons that still remain fuzzy. His girlfriend, Nessa Diab, posted an image of franchise legend Ray Lewis and team owner Steve Bisciotti, after reports emerged that Bisciotti resisted the notion of embracing Kaepernick. After that, the visit never happened.
Even if Kaepernick’s visit to Baltimore had happened, there would have been complications. Flacco was the starter. Kaepernick would have been the backup, with a contract reflecting his status. At the time, Kaepernick believed he should still be a starter; would he have accepted a secondary role?
If Kaepernick and the Ravens had joined forces, the ensuing butterfly effect could have resulted in the Ravens not trading back into the bottom of round one to acquire two-time MVP Lamar Jackson in April 2018. On that topic, Harbaugh said “we probably would’ve still drafted Lamar for the opportunity to have two guys like that.”
Still, no one knows what would have happened without knowing how Kaepernick would have performed. In 2017, the Ravens went 9-7 and missed the playoffs; Flacco was so-so. If Kaepernick had gotten a chance to play that year and if he had played well, who knows? He could have been the clear-cut No. 1 entering 2018, perhaps making them less inclined to draft Jackson.
Chargers Clips
Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur said this week that he feels good about running back Jeremiyah Love being in the lineup against the Chargers in Week 1, but it remains to be seen what kind of role the rookie will play coming off of an ankle injury.
It seems clear that any role for Love will include splitting time with Tyler Allgeier. The Cardinals have Allgeier listed as the No. 1 running back on their first depth chart of the regular season. Bam Knight is listed as the third running back.
That was also the case in the preseason, although Love did not play after injuring his ankle in the team’s first game of the summer.
Depth charts can change and it’s hard not to imagine that Love will wind up taking on more and more of the work if he produces the way he did at Notre Dame, but, for now, the Cardinals are calling Allgeier the starter.
Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love injured his ankle in an Aug. 13 preseason game against the Raiders. It was diagnosed as a high-ankle sprain, and he has not practiced or played since.
Love is moving closer to a return, though, and coach Mike LaFleur insinuated that the rookie did something on the practice field Monday.
“Progressing,” LaFleur said, via Bo Brack of PHNX Cardinals. “He was out there moving around today. We’ll see on Wednesday. I’ll have a better idea for all those guys [who are injured].”
The Cardinals will have their first injury report of the season on Wednesday, which will be the first indication of where Love is in his rehab. LaFleur was asked about his optimism for the third overall pick to play against the Chargers.
“Yeah, I feel good,” LaFleur said.
Love had 14 touches for 73 yards in the first half of the only preseason game he played.
With 11 captains on the Rams, the Chargers had a chance to one-up them.
In a perfect metaphor for the L.A. rivalry, they came up short to their landlords at SoFi Stadium.
The Chargers have a mere 10 team captains for 2026. They are, based on the order they appear on the graphic the Chargers posted: linebacker Daiyan Henley, linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu, tackle Joe Alt, quarterback Justin Herbert, cornerback Elijah Molden, receiver Ladd McConkey, safety Derwin James Jr., linebacker Khalil Mack, tackle Rashawn Slater, and long snapper Josh Harris.
Unlike the Rams, which seemed to pick a captain from each position group, the Chargers have two tackles and three linebackers. They have five on defense, four on offense, and one on special teams.
It should be three. Offense, defense, special teams. One for each primary component of the team.
But each team has to make its own decision. If it wants to dilute the honor by taking a participation-trophy approach to handing out the “C” patches, so be it.
Still, the first team that goes with three will receive high praise from this tiny corner of the media ecosystem. Which probably means none will.
At this point, it’s unclear whether or not Cardinals rookie running back Jeremiyah Love will be available for Arizona’s season opener.
Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Love is “about 50/50” to play Week 1 with an ankle sprain.
Love suffered the injury in Las Vegas’ preseason opener on Aug. 13. He tallied 14 touches in that contest, with 11 rushing attempts for 58 yards and three receptions for 14 yards. Head coach Mike LaFleur said the plan was for Love, the No. 4 overall pick of the year’s draft, to get double-digit touches in that preseason game.
Via Darren Urban of the team’s website, LaFleur said on Monday that Love is “progressing” but did not touch on the running back’s availability for Week 1.
The team’s first injury report for its matchup against the Chargers will be released on Sept. 9.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert will be practicing with his brother for the first time since they were teammates at Oregon in 2019.
Patrick Herbert, a tight end who was cut by the Jaguars on Sunday, signed with the Chargers’ practice squad on Monday.
The 25-year-old Patrick, who is three years younger than Justin, signed with the Jaguars as an undrafted free agent last year and spent the season on their practice squad. He remained with the Jaguars throughout this offseason.
Patrick spent six seasons at Oregon, playing there from 2019 through 2024. As a freshman he got on the field for two games, while Justin was leading the Ducks to a 12-2 record that culminated in winning the Rose Bowl. During his college career, Patrick caught 31 passes for 388 yards and four touchdowns.
The Chargers terminated the contract of punter JK Scott in a procedural move Sunday. They needed the roster spot for Denzel Perryman until they could move the veteran linebacker to injured reserve on Monday.
Perryman, 33, can return to the team after missing at least the first four games.
He played only 10 games in 2025 due to a high-ankle sprain and a suspension.
Scott will enter his fifth season with the Chargers. He averaged 45 yards on 14 punts in the preseason and allowed a return for a touchdown.
The Chargers also announced their practice squad, and it includes quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. They cut Uiagalelei on Sunday.
Their other additions are linebacker Lander Barton, outside linebacker Andre Carter, defensive lineman Jahmeer Carter, linebacker Junior Colson, running back Gregory Desrosiers, wide receiver Gary Jennings, running back Amar Johnson, center Josh Kaltenberger, cornerback Nikko Reed, wide receiver Devonte Ross, tight end Evan Svoboda, outside linebacker Nadame Tucker, offensive tackle Laekin Vakalahi, cornerback Isas Waxter and defensive lineman Terry Webb.
The Chargers do not have a punter on their initial 53-man roster.
JK Scott was among the players released by the AFC West club on Sunday. Scott spent the last four years with the Chargers and could return if the team does some other roster shuffling, but their plans at the position remain unclear.
RB Jaret Patterson was also released.
The Chargers’ other moves included putting FB/DL Scott Matlock and OL Branson Taylor on injured reserve with the designation to return and moving OT Isaiah World to the reserve/non-football injury list.
WR Sincere Brown, WR Dalevon Campbell, LB Kyle Kennard, S Noah Avinger, LB Lander Barton, LS Peter Bowden, TE Jerand Bradley, LB Andre Carter, DL Jahmeer Carter, WR Liam Clifford, LB Junior Colson, RB Gregory Desrosiers, S Devin Grant, DL Jacobian Guillory, WR JaQuae Jackson, WR Gary Jennings, RB Amar Johnson, LB Emany Johnson, C Josh Kaltenberger, TE Johnny Pascuzzi, S Myles Purchase, LB Garmon Randolph, CB Nikko Reed, CB Eric Rogers, WR Devonte Ross, TE Evan Svoboda, LB Nadame Tucker, QB DJ Uiagalelei, OT Laekin Vakalahi, CB Isas Waxter, and DL Terry Webb were all waived.
Tony Jefferson remains a Charger.
Although the Chargers were expecting to cut Jefferson as one of their moves to get down to 53 players today, they ended up keeping Jefferson on the roster.
According to Adam Schefter, the Chargers decided to keep Jefferson after trading cornerback Avery Smith and defensive lineman TeRah Edwards, which opened up two roster spots.
So, for now anyway, Jefferson remains in Los Angeles and remains a Charger.
The Panthers are acquiring a young defensive lineman.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Chargers are trading defensive tackle TeRah Edwards to the Panthers.
Carolina will send Los Angeles a 2028 sixth-round pick to complete the deal.
Edwards, 25, played his college ball at Illinois. He has not yet appeared in a regular-season game.
Edwards now adds some depth to a Carolina defensive unit that is led up front by Derrick Brown.
