Houston Texans have discussed Colin Kaepernick

The Houston Texans need a quarterback, and they may turn to Colin Kaepernick in fairly short order.

The Houston Texans finally found a quarterback in Deshaun Watson, until he was rendered unavailable by a torn ACL last week. Tom Savage was elevated to the top spot on the depth chart, and the Texans went the “known quantity” angle by signing T.J. Yates and Matt McGloin. Meanwhile Colin Kaepernick, now in the midst of putting together a collusion lawsuit against the NFL, remains unemployed.

There are obvious extra elements in play with Kaepernick, beyond any decline in his play over the last few years. There may not be real collusion going on to keep him out of the NFL, but it’s getting pretty late in the season for Kaepernick to make any meaningful contribution this year.

As of this writing, Savage just threw the first touchdown pass of his career Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. But he was still just 18-for-41 for 199 yards with that touchdown as the fourth quarter wound down, and the Texans have not generated much offensively.

Kaepernick surfaced as an immediate option for the Texans, even with owner Bob McNair’s comments about “inmates running the prison” in regard to player protests. But with or without McNair’s input, the Texans may be ready to take a look at Kaepernick.

Jay Glazer of FOX Sports was very careful with his words, citing “chatter inside the [Texans’] building” about whether or not to take a look at Kaepernick. Given how Savage has looked on Sunday, regardless of a win or loss to the Colts, it can’t hurt Houston to take a long look at other options.

Next: NFL Week 9: Picks, predictions and more

There are a few factors to consider for any team to sign Kaepernick. In no particular order and of equal importance, they are his desire to play, his physical condition and his asking price. It appears he wants to play, and a workout will tell the Texans what kind of football shape he’s in. Then money terms can be discussed more clearly.