Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden has ruled out the possibility of signing Colin Kaepernick to ease their quarterback injury crisis.
Starting QB Alex Smith's season ended after he broke his fibula and tibia against the Houston Texans in Week 11, before back-up Colt McCoy fractured his right fibula during Monday's 28-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, leaving Mark Sanchez as the lone QB.
Kaepernick, who has not played since the 2016 season with the San Francisco 49ers, has filed a grievance against the NFL stating the league has colluded to keep him unsigned due to his decision to kneel during the national anthem to protest against social injustice.
Gruden was asked on Tuesday if the team considered signing Kaepernick, to which he replied: "He's been discussed [internally] but I think we will probably go in a different direction."
The head coach added that the team wants to bring in someone who has some familiarity with the offense and Kaepernick's "skill set" was too different from what the Redskins require.
When asked if Kaepernick's stances on social justice - which have caused controversy throughout the league - had anything to do with the decision, he replied the choice was "strictly football".
However, Gruden did say if the injuries to his quarterbacks had occurred earlier in the season, there would have been a greater interest in Kaepernick.