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Seattle Seahawks

Momentum building linking Colin Kaepernick and the Seahawks

In this Sept. 25, 2016 file photo, San Francisco 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick kneels during the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle. (Ted S. Warren / Associated Press)
By Bob Condotta Seattle Times

Is momentum building toward a Colin Kaepernick signing by the Seahawks?

Tuesday brought more indications that a marriage between the two could be in the offing.

Specifically, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that the Seahawks have zeroed in on Kaepernick after earlier exploring other veteran options for a backup quarterback such as Christian Ponder (who remains a free agent) and Blaine Gabbert (who recently signed with the Arizona Cardinals).

Rapoport reported that the Seahawks have decided that Kaepernick is “the best backup available.”

He also reported that Seattle starter Russell Wilson would not have “any sort of a problem with it.”

The NFL Network reported Monday that Seattle general manager John Schneider had made contact with Kaepernick’s representatives on Friday.

One source confirmed to the Times that the two sides are talking and that if a signing were to happen it would likely occur in the next few weeks. The Seahawks would probably want Kaepernick in the fold in time for the beginning of Organized Training Activities on May 30 (Seattle is beginning its OTA late and will hold just seven overall due to penalties for violating rules regarding off-season practice levied by the NFL last September).

The Seahawks had initially not been thought too interested in adding a veteran backup when the offseason began.

But after considering drafting a quarterback the Seahawks did not use any of their 11 picks on a signal-caller. And on Monday the team waived the only quarterback it had signed as an undrafted free agent – Skyler Howard of West Virginia – after an unimpressive performance in the team’s rookie mini-camp.

That leaves Seattle with Wilson, Trevone Boykin – who was arrested in March on marijuana possession and public intoxication charges, a case that remains unresolved – and Jake Heaps as the three quarterbacks on its 90-man roster.

Coach Pete Carroll said in an interview on 710 ESPN Seattle Monday that the team was considering all options when it came to the backup quarterback position.

“We are looking at everybody, really,” he said when asked specifically about Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III. “We are really are. We have (salary) cap and roster issues we still have got to make sure that we manage properly. But yes, we are looking at all those guys.”

But given what are now multiple reports from several different national outlets indicating there could be interest between the two sides, everything seems to point to Kaepernick.

While the fact that Kaepernick has now been available for more than two months since voiding his contract with the 49ers (which he did with the knowledge the team would release him) has led to lots of discussion of whether his political activities and kneeling for the anthem last year has scared teams away.

But more proof that that won’t be an issue with the Seahawks came in the form of an interview Michael Bennett gave on ESPN 710 Seattle Tuesday when he said Seattle would be “the perfect place for him.”

“I think Kaepernick getting an opportunity to be on our team would be really cool, really a good space for him,” Bennett said. “Because you have a coach like coach (Pete) Carroll who’s up for challenges like that, you have an owner (Paul Allen) who understands and gives back to homeless, you’ve got players on your team that give back in the community, you’ve got Russell Wilson, who shows our team is built around community.”

But as always the case with any NFL transaction, the key will be the price.

Seattle is paying Boykin $540,000 this season (with a $545,000 overall salary cap hit).

The Seahawks may not want to pay more than $1 million or so to get Kaepernick, who was making roughly $19 million a year with the 49ers.

It’s been unclear what Kaepernick has been asking for, but the leverage here would appear more on the side of Seattle.

Answers may be coming soon.