Colin Kaepernick impact on Vikings coaching decision revealed

When the Minnesota Vikings chose to not hire Jim Harbaugh as their new head coach, the decision reportedly had nothing to do with free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

Prior to his interview with the franchise this past January, there were plenty of people that were excited about the possibility of Jim Harbaugh becoming the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. During his previous head-coaching gig in the NFL, Harbaugh was able to lead Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers to a spot in the Super Bowl in just his second season with the organization.

In the end, however, the Vikings decided to not hire Harbaugh as the team’s new head coach, and they, of course, gave the job to former Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell.

Following Harbaugh‘s meeting with Minnesota, it was reported by The Athletic that something during the middle of his interview caused everything to take a “left turn.” Given the current Michigan head coach’s history with Kaepernick, some have wondered if this “left turn” had to do with Harbaugh wanting the Vikings to sign the free-agent quarterback this year.

Colin Kaepernick reportedly had no impact on the Minnesota Vikings decision to not hire Jim Harbaugh

When Minnesota ultimately decided to not hire Harbaugh, it reportedly had nothing to do with any sort of desire by him to sign Kaepernick to the team’s roster this offseason.

According to ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio on Monday, the Michigan head coach didn’t even “propose Kaepernick as a quarterback on the roster when meeting with the Vikings.”

Florio also mentioned that if there was any mention of the free-agent signal-caller during the interview, it had to do with the possibility of him becoming a quarterbacks coach on Harbaugh’s staff whenever the door officially ends up closing on Kaepernick’s playing career.

According to Florio, “the Kaepernick angle did not cause the Vikings to go in a different direction,” after their meeting with Harbaugh.

While it wouldn’t have been a surprise if Kaepernick eventually wound up in Minnesota if Harbaugh became the team’s head coach, the free-agent quarterback reportedly had no impact on the franchise hiring O’Connell instead.