The AP explains how the NFL enters a time when government health experts are preventing some people from congregating en masse.  Schuyler Dixon reports: Timing favored the NFL over other major pro sports leagues in trying to figure out how to keep the coronavirus pandemic from wrecking the 2020 season.   America’s most popular sport has another big advantage if the games are played: TV money.   While NFL owners could lose billions collectively with limited capacities in stadiums or no fans at all, the league is well-positioned financially because of lucrative media contracts approaching $10 billion in a full 2020 season.   And so far, the NFL is on pace to play games this fall.   “The NFL takes its position as America’s sport, the nation’s sport, very seriously,” said Marc Ganis, co-founder of the Chicago-based consulting group Sportscorp and close observer of the pro sports business scene. “They will move heaven and earth, make whatever adjustments are necessary. As long as players and coaches are healthy, they will get the games on.”   Ganis says there are plenty of options within that premise: no fans, some fans, perhaps even full stadiums by season’s end, or teams playing somewhere other than their regular venues because of restrictions related to the pandemic.   Regardless, the financial health of the NFL isn’t among the questions, at least for now, while other leagues grapple with issues over fan-related dollars that more profoundly affect their ability to operate.   Fitch Ratings recently affirmed its “A-plus” credit mark for the NFL and its properties while noting that the league had approved raising the borrowing limit for each club to $500 million from $350 million. While Fitch analyst Chad Lewis said the debt limit had more to do with larger capital spending, such as stadiums and practice facilities, the company attributes part of its strong rating to the television deals. Fitch says the NFL estimates each team’s media revenue at $250 million per season. The number gets bigger later in the contract, and each deal is set to expire in the next two years.   So it’s safe to say more than half of the league’s $15 billion in annual revenue comes from the TV deals shared equally among all 32 teams — unlike Major League Baseball, the NBA and NHL.   “If you just look at the number of eyeballs that the NFL gets on an average regular-season game,” Lewis said, “there’s just a very strong foundation there. That’s just really a testament to the strength of the league and how it looks for the league long term.”   Ganis estimates each team’s average of stadium-related revenue — tickets, parking, concessions, sponsorships and merchandise among other things — at $130 million annually. The midway point in Forbes magazine’s most recent analysis of stadium incomes for all 32 teams was about $150 million.   Those figures put leaguewide stadium revenue in the range of $4 billion to $5 billion annually, or about 30% of the overall bottom line. That’s not far from former Packers executive Andrew Brandt’s belief that roughly 60% of the NFL’s money comes from media contracts, also known as national revenue.   Brandt says local revenues were a much larger portion of the formula when he joined the Packers 20 years ago. In Green Bay’s most recent financial report covering the 2018 season, the NFL’s only publicly traded franchise reported $204 million in local revenue compared to $275 million in national revenue.   Brandt, director of Villanova’s Moorad Center of Sports Law, estimated ticket sales could make up about 25% of a team’s total revenue depending on several factors, but he also wondered about the impact outside a stadium.   “There is nothing like game-day weekend in Green Bay,” Brandt said. “The way the hotels are sold out months in advance and they have these houses by Lambeau that are just rented for each weekend. The effect on local economies is huge.”   MLB’s attempts to get the baseball season started are being held up in part by a disagreement over how to compensate players in the likelihood that owners will have no fan-related revenue. NFL owners and players recently reached a 10-year labor agreement. And while player compensation has been overshadowed by talk of access to team facilities and how to conduct training camps safely, Brandt believes it’s a potential sticking point if the league decides to play without fans or limited capacities.   For one thing, next year’s salary cap might shrink because of lower local revenues after expanding repeatedly for years. If attendance is restricted, owners and players might have to work on solutions for the cap.   “Difficult, not because of negativity between the two sides necessarily,” Brandt said. “It’s difficult because of the subject. It’s just how bad do the owners want to extract a pound of flesh.”   Former television executive Neal Pilson wonders if the virus-battered economy might lead some corporations to question spending on advertising in the fall. But Ganis believes the appetite for live televised sports will make the ratings behemoth known as the NFL as popular as ever, for companies and their consumers.   “Everything else, all other entertainment broadcasting, is in doubt except sports,” Ganis said. “And they need sports more than ever to advertise.”   The PGA Tour has restarted at a nearly deserted Colonial Country Club in Texas, and the NBA and NHL are moving ahead with plans to finish their seasons at neutral sites without fans. The NASCAR and IndyCar circuits are running in front of more than 100,000 empty seats, in some cases, though both will have a limited number of fans in attendance soon.   The NFL is the most watched of them all, so there figures to be a new wave of TV interest in September if the games are on.   “It was always awkward to televise a sports event and not see anybody there because we always felt that the viewer looks at the fact that there’s nobody in attendance and says, ‘Why am I watching? Nobody cares,’” said Pilson, who oversaw NFL coverage at CBS.   “We never were able to quantify that. But as a television executive you always want a full house.”   Yet even in empty houses, the payoff for the NFL is substantial. – – – Four NFL players based in Texas have tested positive (which is negative) for Covid-19.  One of them is RB EZEKIEL ELLIOTT.  Todd Archer of ESPN.com: A small number of Dallas Cowboys players have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to multiple sources, and a source said a few Houston Texans have also tested positive.   Agent Rocky Arceneaux told NFL Network that Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott tested positive but is feeling good.   Elliott later questioned on Twitter why his medical information was made public by referencing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.   @EzekielElliott HIPAA ??   HIPAA’s privacy rule, which prevents the disclosure of medical information without patient approval, only applies to health care providers.   None of the Cowboys players had been at The Star, the team’s facility, during the offseason, per league rules. The team has been in consistent contact with the players and the club has an infectious disease consultant on its medical staff. A source said one player had flu-like symptoms late last week but was feeling better, and the other players tested have been asymptomatic.   “Due to federal and local privacy laws, we are unable to provide information regarding the personal health of any of our employees,” the Cowboys said in a statement. “We are following all CDC, local and NFL guidelines to keep our facilities safe, including limiting employee access.” No indication that any of these cases are in any way serious, but it all leaves Shalise Manza Young of YahooSports.com alarmed. It just doesn’t add up.   The idea that NFL players are going to be able to return to team facilities, return to practices and return to games without incredibly restrictive rules in place just doesn’t seem possible.   On Monday morning, NFL Network reported that “several” Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys players had tested positive for the coronavirus, including Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott.   And this is before they’ve returned to work.   Many of us are itching for sports to start again, but our selfish desires could potentially put thousands of people at risk, and beyond that pulling off any semblance of a real season seems incredibly difficult.   Let’s start with the players. NFL players are young, fit and healthy, but the coronavirus does not discriminate: Denver Broncos star Von Miller revealed roughly two months ago that he’d tested positive for the disease and that even after taking 17 days off to rest and recover, he still had trouble breathing. Miller has asthma, which certainly complicates things when you contract a disease that attacks the respiratory system, but do we know how many other NFL players have it, too?   Even if they don’t have asthma, there are still players with health issues they’ve learned to live with that could be negatively impacted by COVID-19, and young adults in general are still at risk of contracting the disease. Data shows that the black community has been hardest hit by the coronavirus, and 70 percent of NFL players are black.   Any impact on a player’s ability to breathe in a sport that requires so much physical exertion is dangerous.   Will NFL teams be allowed to keep the full 90-man training camp roster for the entire season and the league alter its usual rules about injured reserve? It seems like it would need to happen if multiple players are having to lay low for a week or four or more to recover if they contract the coronavirus.   Will players be required to spend the entirety of the season away from family, cloistered in a hotel or some other lodging setup? Because that seems like the only sensible way to handle things — but that puts expectant fathers at risk of not being there to see the birth of children, or fathers not being able to see the children they already have — and imagine the burden on their spouses.   An asymptomatic player who goes home or visits a parent puts all those people at risk.   And what of the numerous others who make a team run, many of whom are middle aged or older? A brief home recovery for Elliott could mean a trip to the hospital for the Cowboys’ 56-year-old head coach Mike McCarthy or Miller’s head coach, 61-year-old Vic Fangio. Just how large would the protective bubble be? Training staff? Equipment staff? Would team food service workers not be allowed to go to their homes? If teams do nothing but travel between facilities and a team hotel, they could still come in contact with hotel staff, putting more people at risk.   None of this even gets into the fallacy of thinking that football players, no matter how cloistered, won’t just be passing the disease among teammates and opponents. The airborne coronavirus can be transmitted through saliva — the same saliva that linemen spew when they’re battling at the line of scrimmage, or a receiver releases when he’s puffing down the sideline to catch up to a deep ball.   The NFL is working with sunglasses manufacturer Oakley to develop a full facemask to try to protect players on the field, which could help lower incidents, but isn’t foolproof. It’s not clear if the masks would be ready in time for the start of the season or if players would be required to wear them.   There are so many questions, and the logistics — or lack of logistics — just don’t make much sense right now.   But don’t just take our word for it: NFL Players Association leadership held a call Monday with player agents. Executive director DeMaurice Smith and Thom Mayer, the NFLPA’s medical director, indicated there is still a lot to figure out — and with training camps scheduled to open in six weeks, there’s not a lot of time to get that done.   “We can’t figure out how to fit the virus into football, we have to figure out how we’re going to fit football into the virus,” Mayer said, via NJ Advance Media. “This is a badass virus.”   Mayer said that players will be tested three times a week for the coronavirus, and that he’s 90 percent certain a saliva-based test will be available by the end of July.   It’s understandable that in a league where the average career is so short — less than four years — that many players would want to play. But is it worth pushing ahead for the NFL if hundreds of people become infected? If one player or assistant coach or the kindly older man who’s worked to clean up the locker room for decades has to spend time in an ICU or worse?   The NFL can create all of the precautions it wants, but there’s no way to guarantee that they’ll be followed to the letter, or that even if they are that they’ll prevent illness.

NFC EAST

PHILADELPHIA The Eagles virtual offseason has produced an actual injury.  Tim McManus of ESPN.com: Philadelphia Eagles standout right guard Brandon Brooks said Monday that he tore his left Achilles tendon.   “So I guess now that news is out yes I tore my other Achilles but when life gives you lemons you make lemonade. I’ll be back and better than ever. Appreciate the love,” he wrote on Twitter.   Brandon Brooks @bbrooks_79 So I guess now that news is out yes I tore my other Achilles but when life gives you lemons you make lemonade. I’ll be back and better than ever. Appreciate the love ✊🏽   The injury occurred at the Eagles’ NovaCare Complex, where Brooks has been rehabbing from late-season shoulder surgery, a source told ESPN. He dislocated his shoulder in Week 17 against the New York Giants, forcing him to miss the Eagles’ wild-card loss to the Seattle Seahawks in January.   Brooks had previously ruptured his right Achilles in a 2018 divisional playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints.   Eagles coach Doug Pederson said Tuesday his “heart sunk” when he learned of Brooks’ most recent Achilles injury.

NFC SOUTH

ATLANTA QB MATT RYAN steps into Atlanta’s police shooting of a black man, and he’s not on the side of the cop.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com approves: Another excessive use of force by police happened in Atlanta on Friday night. Another man who did not deserve to die was killed by an officer who performed the role of judge, jury, and executioner in a fit of embarrassment, ego, and adrenaline.   And Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is not happy about it.   “I spent the weekend trying to wrap my head around the killing of Rayshard Brooks,” Ryan posted on Twitter. “To be completely honest, I can’t. Rayshard Brooks should be alive — end of story. We cannot continue to lose lives due to police brutality.   “Atlanta, I see you, I hear you and I’m taking action with my Fund. I’m with you more than ever as we take the next steps in the fight against police brutality and systemic racism. We can and will Rise Up.”   Matt Ryan is right. Rayshard Brooks should be alive.   Questioned by police after he was found asleep in his car in a Wendy’s parking lot, Brooks admitted that he’d been drinking. Brooks had been patted down for weapons. The police had his ID.   But then came a sudden scuffle as Brooks was being cuffed. Was he wrong to resist? Yes. Was he wrong to punch a cop while resisting? Yes. Was he wrong to take one of their Tasers and run away? Yes.   That’s not something that justifies an immediate death sentence to be issued and carried out. Let the guy run. They know where he lives. They can get him later. As someone said on MSNBC the other night, it’s not like a helicopter was about to emerge and take him to Kathmandu.   This is what Colin Kaepernick was talking about in 2016. Those who have the ability to use deadly force need to have the right training and experience to know when to use it, and when not to use it. In this case, unless Brooks had a real gun (not a Taser) pointed at police and was about to pull the trigger, there was no reason to shoot him — especially since the shooting happened in the Wendy’s parking lot with cars in line to get food. Indeed, one of the other cars was struck by a bullet.   To think that this happened as the world demands change in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd makes it even more mind boggling. Guns should be issued only to those who know when use them, and the good cops who understand that should be pissed that idiots and assholes are making all of them look bad by killing people who didn’t deserve to die.

NFC WEST

SAN FRANCISCO A new deal with a raise for Coach Kyle Shanahan.  Adam Schefter of ESPN.com: The San Francisco 49ers have signed head coach Kyle Shanahan to a multiyear extension, the team announced Monday.   The six-year contract replaces the three years remaining on his deal and ties him to the 49ers through the 2025 season, league sources told ESPN. It also makes Shanahan one of the NFL’s five highest-paid head coaches.   What made this deal unique is that it was hardly a protracted negotiation between 49ers owner Jed York and Shanahan. The two men sat down and quickly figured out what each meant to the other, committing to their second six-year contract in just more than three years. Shanahan signed his first six-year contract with the 49ers in February 2017.   Shanahan has helped remake the franchise, leading it to an NFC championship last season. He is regarded as one of the best playcallers in the league and one of the top offensive minds in the game.   Shanahan also has helped form one of the most progressive and diverse coaching staffs in the league. Of the 49ers’ 23 assistant coaches, 11 are women or people of color. Among them are assistant head coach Jon Embree, who is black, and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, believed to be the league’s first Arab American coordinator when San Francisco hired him in 2017.   Shanahan spoke openly and passionately about race earlier this month, saying that it is embarrassing for the NFL to have only three black head coaches and two black general managers.   Shanahan, 40, is a former offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons.

AFC WEST

DENVER Broncos employees get a holiday on Friday.  Aric DiLilla of DenverBroncos.com: In a series of Town Halls with employees, Broncos President & CEO Joe Ellis announced Juneteenth will be a permanent, paid holiday for the organization starting this year as a day of reflection, learning and service.   Both UCHealth Training Center and Empower Field at Mile High will be closed Friday, June 19, in recognition of Juneteenth.   June 19, 1865 — or Juneteenth — is celebrated as the United States’ second independence day and marks the effective end of slavery in the United States. While President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, slavery persisted in Confederate states over the next several years. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers informed enslaved African-Americans in Texas that they were freed by executive decree.   Though many did not gain their freedom immediately, Juneteenth was when more than 250,000 enslaved people in Texas learned they would gain their freedom. Here is some presumably up-to-the-minute information on the exponential growth of Juneteenth from Wikipedia: In 2018 Apple added Juneteenth to its calendars in iOS under official US holidays.[32]   Activists are pushing Congress to recognize Juneteenth as a national holiday.[33] Organizations such as the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation are seeking a Congressional designation of Juneteenth as a national day of observance.[10]   Subsequent growth Since the 1980s and 1990s, the holiday has been more widely celebrated among African-American communities, and has seen increasing mainstreaming in the US. In 1991 there was an exhibition by the Anacostia Museum (part of the Smithsonian Institution) called “Juneteenth ’91, Freedom Revisited”.[27] In 1994 a group of community leaders gathered at Christian Unity Baptist Church in New Orleans to work for greater national celebration of Juneteenth. Expatriates have celebrated it in cities abroad, such as Paris. Some US military bases in other countries sponsor celebrations, in addition to those of private groups. In 1999, Ralph Ellison’s novel Juneteenth was published, increasing recognition of the holiday. By 2006, at least 200 cities celebrated the day.   Although the holiday is still mostly unknown outside African-American communities, it has gained mainstream awareness through depictions in entertainment media, such as episodes of TV series Atlanta (2016) and Black-ish (2017), the latter of which featured musical numbers about the holiday by Aloe Blacc, The Roots, and Fonzworth Bentley. In 2020, several American corporations including Twitter, the National Football League, and Nike announced that they would treat Juneteenth as a company holiday, providing a paid day off to their workers.   Recognition After Texas recognized the date in 1980, many states followed suit. By 2002, eight states officially recognized Juneteenth and four years later 15 states recognized the holiday. By 2008, nearly half of US states observed the holiday as a ceremonial observance. Forty-seven of the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have recognized Juneteenth as either a state holiday or ceremonial holiday, a day of observance. The three states that do not recognize Juneteenth are Hawaii, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The Broncos also have a new sponsor.  Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com: The Denver Broncos have agreed to a multiyear deal with FanDuel to make the sportsbook their official sports betting and daily fantasy football partner.   The Broncos are the first NFL team to formally announce such an agreement since the league cleared the way earlier this year.   The agreement will allow FanDuel to use Broncos’ logos in its advertising in Colorado, and the company will advertise in the stadium, on the Broncos’ TV and radio broadcasts, and on the team’s website.   In a statement, Broncos chief commercial official Mac Freeman said: “FanDuel has built a strong reputation as a premier gaming destination for sports fans. The ways they smartly reach people through engaging and entertaining content is in line with the Broncos’ innovative thinking when connecting with our fans. With FanDuel’s successful launch into Colorado earlier in May, we believe Broncos fans will enjoy FanDuel’s trusted mobile sports betting and daily fantasy platforms.”   Proposition DD was passed in Colorado in November 2019, legalizing sports betting in the state. And earlier this year, after an in-house study, the NFL formally announced teams could individually sell sportsbook sponsorships.

AFC NORTH

BALTIMORE QB LAMAR JACKSON took a potentially serious tumble with a camera running and posting.  Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com: NFL MVP Lamar Jackson is fine after tumbling over a jet ski in a video posted on social media, a source said Monday.   In the video, the Baltimore Ravens quarterback is running with a football on the beach before colliding with a parked jet ski and falling headfirst into the water. The source said Jackson was not injured.   Jackson, who was seen playing with about a half-dozen other people, later posted the video on his Instagram story. The video starts with Jackson faking someone off his feet, as he has done so many times on the football field, before accelerating untouched across the beach and toward the water. That’s when he attempted to slow down before running into the jet ski.   There’s no word on whether the Ravens will restrict Jackson from playing beach football. In 1998, New England Patriots rookie running back Robert Edwards severely injured his knee during a beach football game at the Pro Bowl; the NFL later canceled any more “Rookie Beach Bowl” games.

CLEVELAND Hue Jackson is saying that he “pushed” to sign Colin Kaepernick during his reign, but others intervened (and presumably made him tell untruths about his interest at the time).  Patrik Walker of CBSSports.com: “I wanted him,” Jackson said, via The News-Herald. “It just didn’t work out. Obviously, those things do have to work from a finance, draft, whatever all that is.”   Jackson went on to say it was out of his hands.   “That wasn’t my decision,” he said, before further detailing his seemingly longstanding interest in Kaepernick. “I’ve known Colin. When I was with the Raiders [in 2011], we were going to draft him when I was there. So, obviously he’d been a really good player in the league.   “He had tremendous success. He is a guy who has stood for something. I think everybody is seeing exactly where he was coming from. … I always thought Colin deserved an opportunity in this league, but he has to want to play.   “If he really wanted to play, I think he would have a chance again.” – – – Those who are wary of hollow words might find themselves pointing at Jackson though, who’s tune in 2020 is an about-face from what he said about Kaepernick three years prior, much like Carroll’s at the time. Jackson was asked specifically if the Browns had any interest in March 2017, at which point he stated Kaepernick hadn’t been a point of conversation between he and the front office.   “We haven’t really discussed Colin,” Jackson said at the time, via Sporting News. “There’s other players at this point that we’ve had a lot of conversations about to see if we can put them on our team. Not saying it won’t come up later on. You have to exhaust everything.     “But at this point he hasn’t come up.” There’s now at least one team in 2020 who has interest in Kaepernick, per Carroll, but until interest evolves into an actual contract, he remains out of the league and hoping for a way back in.

AFC SOUTH

INDIANAPOLIS Congratulations to EDGE ROBERT MATHIS.  This announcement from Colts.com: Former Indianapolis Colts defensive end Robert Mathis will be inducted into the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 22, when the team hosts the Green Bay Packers, team officials said today.   Fans may purchase single-game tickets to the Nov. 22 game at Colts.com/Tickets or www.Ticketmaster.com.   Mathis, the franchise’s all-time sack leader, played 14 seasons (2003-2016) with the Colts after being selected by the team in the fifth round (138th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft. He saw action in 192 career games (121 starts) and totaled 604 tackles (456 solo), 123.0 sacks, 18 passes defensed, 52 forced fumbles, 17 fumble recoveries (three returned for touchdowns), one interception and 15 special teams stops. Mathis appeared in 18 postseason contests (11 starts) and tallied 48 tackles (32 solo), 6.5 sacks, two passes defensed, five forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He was a member of the Colts’ Super Bowl XLI-winning team.   “From a fifth-round pick from a small college to one of the most effective and feared defensive players in the NFL, Robert Mathis was a centerpiece of the historic Colts teams of the last two decades,” said Jim Irsay, Colts Owner & CEO. “He was undersized and underrated, but he made up for it with a motor that wouldn’t quit and a flawless technique that outmatched the most talented lineman in the league. And to watch him strip-sack the quarterback – which he did better and more than anyone in NFL history – was a thing of beauty. What’s more, Robert has stayed connected to the Horseshoe and has helped guide and teach our next generation of players. We are so proud that his name and his Hall of Fame-worthy career will be celebrated and remembered in Indianapolis from this day forward.”

THIS AND THAT

KAEP Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com insists that he is the keeper of all facts about QB COLIN KAEPERNICK. Given our support for the return of Colin Kaepernick to the NFL, a sports league that has wrongfully denied him employment for more than three years, plenty of negative and/or hostile emails have arrived in recent days. Most contain key factual errors regarding Kaepernick’s experiences since becoming a free agent in March 2017.   For starters, it’s important to remember a few things. First, the 49ers would have cut Colin Kaepernick if he hadn’t opted out of his remaining contract with the 49ers. G.M. John Lynch said so, emphatically, on PFT Live. Second, Kaepernick has received no offers of employment since becoming a free agent in March 2017. Third, he has had only one visit since becoming a free agent in March 2017, with the Seahawks later that year. Fourth, no team has invited him for a workout.   Those are facts. They are verifiable. They are undisputable. As NFLPA executive director De Smith likes to you, you’re entitled to your own opinion, but you’re not entitled to your own facts.   Some have argued that Kaepernick rejected an opportunity to sign with the Broncos since becoming a free agent in March 2017. That is false. The Broncos considered trading for Kaepernick in 2016 (after the retirement of Peyton Manning and defection of Brock Osweiler to Houston), before Kaepernick ever protested during the anthem, but he declined to reduce his guaranteed salary to facilitate a trade. Then, once he became a free agent in 2017, the Broncos showed no interest, arguing basically that he had his chance to sign with the team in 2016. (Meanwhile, Osweiler was offered a contract in 2017, a year after spurning the Broncos for the Texans.)   Other false narratives have been used by teams and/or the league office, with the media serving as a willing conduit, to win the P.R. battle regarding the shunning of Colin Kaepernick. Last October, agent Jeff Nalley issued a fact sheet addressing many of the false narratives. We addressed several of them in May 2017, from Kaepernick demanding $9 million to $10 million per year to demanding a chance to compete for the starting job to his vegan diet (while Tom Brady does the same thing) to the inaccurate notion that Kaepernick would prefer to do social justice work over playing football to the broad-brush proclamation that Kaepernick was unsigned because, as Albert Breer of SI.com claimed in 2017, “[h]e’s not considered a starting-caliber player by any NFL evaluator anymore” — a simultaneous deep dive into the mind of every single talent evaluator employed by every NFL team.   More recently, the Associated Press floated the notion that Kaepernick may have a bigger platform by not playing than if he returned to the league, a laughable notion that feels like a favor fed by a league that hopes the heat will leave the kitchen before the stove explodes.   So to those of you who resent or otherwise disagree with our ongoing effort to get someone/anyone to do the right thing, make sure you take a page from the Mike Gundy pre-mullet playbook and get your facts straight. We are not sure that there are any “facts” in the public domain about Kaepernick’s salary expectations. The 2017 report where Florio says he addressed them sort of says that: In March, as the lack of interest in Kaepernick became more glaring, someone told Dan Graziano of ESPN.com that Kaepernick wants both a salary in the range of $9 million to $10 million per year and a chance to compete for a starting job. The truth was, and still is, that no one knows what Kaepernick wants, because the conversation has never progressed to the point where anyone has asked Kaepernick or his agents what he wants. Kaepernick and his reps have never said that we want $5 million or $2 million or any specific figure.  The one time we think his people have mentioned numbers they were deemed exhorbitant.  We don’t know that it was $2 million per game for the XFL, but we don’t know that it wasn’t.  This from Evan Bleier of InsideHook.com: Speaking with NPR’s Michel Martin over the weekend, XFL commissioner Oliver Luck said the league did approach Colin Kaepernick about suiting up but that a deal couldn’t be reached because the former NFL quarterback’s salary demands were “exorbitant.”   “We gave it some thought,” Luck told Martin. “We have some pretty significant salary restrictions, you know. We’re a start-up league, so we want to make sure that we can be fiscally responsible and fiscally prudent. And the, you know, salary requirements that some folks, you know, shared with us were in our case exorbitant, so we, you know, couldn’t go down that path. We spoke with his representative and the salary requirements that were broached in that conversation were exorbitant and certainly out of our range.”   Kaepernick reportedly wanted $20 million to suit up for the XFL’s 10-game season, $2 million per game before taxes.   Given that the average XFL player is only earning $55,000 for putting themselves in harm’s way each week, it’s not much of a surprise the league was unwilling to break the bank for Kaepernick. His stance on kneeling during the anthem, which it outlawed in the XFL, probably didn’t help. There was one time other time that an NFL team did give some thought to Kaepernick, and he and his girlfriend started off with a peculiar negotiating tactic (not mentioned by Florio) if Ray Lewis is to be believed.  This from The Guardian in 2017: The latest reason for Colin Kaepernick’s absence from the NFL is apparently not down to his throwing accuracy, his wage demands or his protest against injustice in the United States. Instead, Ray Lewis claims a “racist” tweet sent by his girlfriend Nessa Diab stopped the Baltimore Ravens from signing the quarterback.   Kaepernick attracted huge amount of publicity last season when he refused to stand for the national anthem – which many say has led to his failure to find a new team. The Ravens were said to have been close to signing Kaepernick, but Lewis, the team’s most famous former player, said Diab’s tweet ended that conversation.    “We were going to close the deal to sign him,” Lewis told Showtime’s Inside the NFL on Tuesday night. “[Ravens owner] Steve Bisciotti said: ‘I want to hear Colin Kaepernick speak to let me know that he wants to play football.’ And it never happened because that picture comes up the next day.”   The tweet, from 2 August, compared Lewis and Biscotti to Samuel L Jackson and Leonardo DiCaprio’s characters in Django Unchained. In the film, Jackson plays a loyal slave to DiCaprio’s racist plantation owner. Diab’s tweet was addressed to Lewis and has not been deleted. It was retweeted more than 4,000 times.   Diab, a radio and TV host, is said to have influenced Kaepernick’s stance on social issues. ESPN’s Dianna Russini said John Harbaugh, the Ravens head coach, and general manager Ozzy Newsome were keen on recruiting Kaepernick as a backup to their starting quarterback Joe Flacco, but Bisciotti has blocked the move.   Lewis said: “[Diab] goes out and put out this racist gesture and doesn’t know we are in the back office about to try to get this guy signed. Steve Bisciotti has said it himself: ‘How can you crucify Ray Lewis when Ray Lewis is the one calling for Colin Kaepernick?’”   Kaepernick said he will stand for the anthem this season if he is picked up by a team. He has received support from his fellow quarterbacks: both Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton believe Kaepernick should be back in the NFL. Rodgers believes the absence is because of his fellow quarterback’s protest. We also understood that in 2017, the Ravens floated Kaepernick’s name to some team sponsors and the reaction was overwhelmingly negative. As the DB sees it, many have said “the NFL” should sign him, but, at least so far, “the NFL” can’t make any specific one of the 32 member clubs sign him.  And what might be good for the NFL Office in its rush to wokeness, might still be devastating to any specific club that signed him. If you think, as seems to be the consensus might be, that Kaepernick (beaten out by Blaine Gabbert for a while in 2016, then sort of okay when he returned to the lineup, now four year idol) is not a difference maker as a player. But his arrival to any locker room, with the accompanying overwhelming media attention, will certainly alter any team dynamic – whether as a back-up to a legend or someone to challenge a shaky starter.  So far no team, many run by honorable people, has been ready to enter into the unknown negotiating fray. But certainly, Kaepernick now has an army of vocal backers and his critics are in retreat.  Perhaps some team will make the move if a quality starter without a quality backup goes down this season.  We thought Pittsburgh might have made sense last year.  Tampa Bay, Detroit, Minnesota, Seattle, Houston and Kansas City come to mind off the top of the head now. And there is one team without sponsors or fans to worry about, that has a new stadium that it could market to the many very woke people in its very neighborhood.  Jason B. Hirschorn of SI.com: Despite the presence of three quarterbacks on the 90-man roster, the Los Angeles Chargers never officially closed the door on adding another option through free agency. According to a new report by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the team could add former San Francisco 49ers signal-caller Colin Kaepernick.   Appearing on a Saturday edition of SportsCenter, Fowler mentioned several teams in need of depth behind center that could look into Kaepernick, including the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Washington. Fowler also discussed the Chargers as a possibility.   “And then the Los Angeles Chargers because they have Justin Herbert, the rookie, if they want to give him a true redshirt year they could roll with Tyrod Taylor, an athletic quarterback, with Kaepernick right behind him,” Fowler said, via Bleacher Report.   Unlike the other clubs mentioned, the Chargers do not currently lack depth at quarterback. Veteran Tyrod Taylor has the inside track to open the 2020 season as the starter with first-round pick Justin Herbert expected to push him for playing time throughout the year. Meanwhile, 2019 fifth-round pick Easton Stick remains in the picture. Head coach Anthony Lynn and general manager Tom Telesco have each gone out of their way to praise Stick, suggesting he remains in Los Angeles’ plans. That would leave little room for a veteran like Kaepernick, as teams rarely carry four quarterbacks on a regular-season roster.   Even so, the Chargers have some indirect connections to Kaepernick. For the majority of his tenure with the 49ers, Kaepernick played under offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Roman would later join the Buffalo Bills to serve in the same capacity. That coaching staff also featured Lynn, who likewise favors mobile signal-callers in his offenses. Whether that connection to Kaepernick will lead to anything concrete remains to be seen, however. In their sure to be tangled relationship with the Rams, the Chargers could use some street cred with Park Avenue.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com remembers Michael Sam: The Commissioner is on the record regarding Colin Kaepernick.   Ten days after creating a video that proclaimed “black lives matter” but omitted Kaepernick’s name, Roger Goodell has said that he wants a team to sign Kaepernick.   “Well, listen, if he wants to resume his career in the NFL, then obviously it’s gonna take a team to make that decision,” Goodell told Mike Greenberg of ESPN. “But I welcome that, support a club making that decision, and encourage them to do that.   “If his efforts are not on the field but continuing to work in this space, we welcome him to that table and to help us, guide us, help us make better decisions about the kinds of things that need to be done in the communities. We have invited him in before, and we want to make sure that everybody’s welcome at that table, and trying to help us deal with some very complex, difficult issues, that have been around for a long time.   “But I hope we’re at a point now where everybody’s committed to making long-term, sustainable change.”   As we’ve said in the past, on multiple occasions, if Goodell and the NFL truly want Kaepernick back in the league, there are ways to make it happen. The Rams, as the reporting went, were nudged by the league in 2014 to select Michael Sam, the first openly gay player in the draft pool. Then, after the Rams cut Sam, Goodell reportedly called around to persuade someone to put Sam on a practice squad. The Cowboys eventually did.   Backroom deals get made all the time in the NFL. Teams always want something, from a Super Bowl to a draft to anything and everything else that the league office has the authority and discretion to dispense. If the league office wants Kaepernick on a team, the league office can make it happen, quickly.   Here, the league really shouldn’t have to work that hard. Things have changed since teams cowered to their fan bases and/or the Tweeter-in-Chief in 2017. Signing Kaepernick now likely would lead to a net gain, from jersey sales to ticket sales to the creation of a national following. Over the years, plenty of teams have volunteered to do Hard Knocks in order to create a national presence. That doesn’t work. Signing Kaepernick would. The Chargers are on a list of eight possible Kaepernick teams compiled by Cody Benjamin of CBSSports.com: 1. Baltimore Ravens There aren’t any teams with as many overt connections to Kaepernick as the Ravens. First and foremost: Greg Roman, the offensive coordinator who helped unleash Kap with the 49ers back in 2012 and is now working wonders with Lamar Jackson in the Ravens’ run-first attack. Roman said in 2019 that Kaepernick’s “body of work speaks for itself,” and it’s easy to see how he could integrate a dual-threat like Kap, either as a decoy, Jackson insurance or situational option QB. That’s essentially already what the Ravens train Robert Griffin III and Trace McSorley to do anyway; Kaepernick just happens to be bigger and better.   The Ravens passed on Kap before, for a variety of speculated reasons, but they were still reportedly close to signing him while John Harbaugh was coach. (Harbaugh’s brother, Jim, of course, coached the Niners when San Francisco drafted and ultimately named Kap their starter.) Plus, a lot has happened since then, with most of the general NFL public rallying behind Kaepernick’s original messaging. The Ravens are already built to contend for a Super Bowl, and they already have their unquestioned face of the franchise at QB. They’re much better positioned now to absorb any “distractions” Kap might bring as a proven No. 2.   2. Houston Texans Like the Ravens, the Texans already have their young, dual-threat franchise QB, but that’s partially what makes them a logical fit. AJ McCarron is a traditional Bill O’Brien pocket passer at the No. 2 spot, but Houston’s still got plenty of cap space to toy with, and if anyone’s proven to be open to off-the-wall roster moves, it’s O’Brien.   More than that, just about every prominent leader on this team, from O’Brien to Deshaun Watson to J.J. Watt, has been explicit in their advocacy for social justice — with O’Brien himself set to follow in Kap’s footsteps and kneel during the national anthem this season. O’Brien’s reportedly already gotten pitches from Justin Reid about signing his brother, Eric, another of the original player protesters. Why couldn’t Kaepernick be next, especially considering his upside as a situational runner and/or Watson backup?   3. Jacksonville Jaguars This feels like a long shot just because of how much the Jaguars seem intent on cutting away or avoiding distraction (see: Jalen Ramsey, etc.) and making 2020 about Gardner Minshew’s QB audition, but team owner Shad Khan is fresh off a strongly worded call to arms in the fight against injustice — the kind of action-not-words declaration that could be used to welcome Kap, his civil rights activism and so forth. Plus, there wouldn’t be much downside, from an on-field and entertainment perspective, to letting Kaepernick challenge Minshew — or at least wait in the wings for a starting opportunity.   4. Kansas City Chiefs Who better to shepherd Kaepernick on his transition back to the NFL than Andy Reid, who’s never shied away from polarizing QB moves and happens to have a Super Bowl-winning supporting cast? With a Lombardi Trophy under his belt and the NFL’s best young QB in tow in Patrick Mahomes, Reid can afford to dabble at the backup spot, where Kap would offer more play-making upside than Chad Henne. Speaking of Mahomes, No. 15 has been very outspoken about the NFL being more proactive to advance social justice causes, so it’s unlikely he’d put up any opposition to such a move. Imagine Kaepernick in Reid’s Chiefs offense, even as a gadget player for a single season before re-hitting the market; the potential is hard to miss.   5. Los Angeles Chargers The Chargers truly seem set on letting Tyrod Taylor be the placeholder at QB until first-round pick Justin Herbert is ready to go, but they also explored Tom Brady, so it’s not as if they’re blindly unaware of their potential as 2020 contenders. Adding Kaepernick wouldn’t preclude them from rolling with Taylor and/or Herbert, but rather insert an alternative for 2020 and give Herbert more time to sit and learn after a shortened offseason. Coach Anthony Lynn would almost certainly be on board with it from an off-field perspective, having passionately praised Kaepernick’s work this offseason.   6. Minnesota Vikings Like the Jags, they’re probably unlikely suitors just because of how Mike Zimmer tends to keep a tight ship, but ownership and the front office are also pretty serious about recommitting to the social justice fight, pledging $5 million to various causes and giving a voice to player leaders like Eric Kendricks, who’ve supported protests. From a football standpoint, they’re an incredibly logical fit as a run-based, play-action-heavy offense without a rock-solid backup for Kirk Cousins. Throw in the connection to the recent Minneapolis tragedy, and there’s a reason former NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart suggested the Vikings make this happen.   7. Philadelphia Eagles If the Eagles were concerned about the optics of adding a high-profile backup for Carson Wentz after Nick Foles’ tenure, they wouldn’t have drafted Jalen Hurts in the second round. And while Hurts’ early pick would seem to take them out of the mix, they incessantly justified that selection by calling themselves a “quarterback factory” and emphasizing the importance of the No. 2 spot. Team owner Jeffrey Lurie is a known progressive on the social justice front, his Eagles have been a bastion for that kind of work since Malcolm Jenkins helped further the foundation, and they’ve taken polarizing swings before (see: Michael Vick). Adding Kap, even as a one-year rental, would give Doug Pederson a new toy, Hurts more time to grow and Wentz a more experienced reserve.   8. Tennessee Titans Team leadership, including ownership and QB Ryan Tannehill, have been talking up renewed action in the social justice movement, and more than that, Mike Vrabel might prefer having someone other than Logan Woodside as his backup plan under center. The Titans saw the value of a veteran No. 2 in 2019, and Kaepernick seems like the ideal play-action backup for their offense, which is going to run through Derrick Henry anyway. Cap space certainly wouldn’t be the holdup, either. We would throw in the Buccaneers.  Bruce Arians would have the inclination to hire him, oh the delicious irony of replacing Blaine Gabbert and Kaepernick might also have value as a change-of-pace movement option to stationary Tom Brady.  Think Taysom Hill to Drew Brees.  We certainly would put them ahead of the Eagles and some others on Benjamin’s list.