Colin Kaepernick As Tom Brady's Successor? Cris Carter 'Wouldn't Be Surprised' If Patriots Made That Call

BOSTON (CBS) -- Tom Brady is coming off a Super Bowl win. Nevertheless, he will turn 42 years old in August.

So, naturally, the years-long conversation about who might the Patriots draft or acquire to succeed Brady as the quarterback of the Patriots has kicked into high gear already this offseason. From draft prospects, to free agents, to potential trade acquisitions, all ideas are being explored.

Hall of Fame wide receiver and current Fox Sports host Cris Carter believes those ideas should include the potential signing of Colin Kaepernick.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the Patriots looked at a guy like Kaep," Carter said Friday on "First Things First" on FS1. "I wouldn't be surprised. I don't have the intel that Peter King does, but I just think that they'll do it a different way.

"I know that the Krafts are very, very fond of Colin Kaepernick. And I know that that situation that we've had, as far as the national anthem, they wish that we would've never gone down that road. I'm just saying outside the box, if someone will do it, it will be the people in New England."

Patriots owner Robert Kraft has publicly supported Kaepernick in the past, stating as recently as November that he'd like to see Kaepernick get a job in the NFL.

"Let me say this: I would very much like to see him in the league," Kraft told The New York Times.

Brady himself has shown some level of public support, too, as he liked an Instagram post that shared Kaepernick's controversial Nike advertisement.

"I sure hope so," Brady said in September 2017 when asked if Kaepernick could play in the NFL again. "I've always watched him and admired him, the way that he played. He was a great young quarterback, he came to our stadium and beat us and took his team to the Super Bowl in 2012. He accomplished a lot in the pros as a player, and he's certainly qualified. I hope he gets a shot."

Carter built the case for the possibility of a Kaepernick-Patriots union by saying that the Patriots have not been great at drafting quarterbacks, and that the team typically builds its roster by acquiring players who aren't wanted anywhere else.

"If you look at most of their players, they come from, hey man, let me get a retread here. Aw, he left him out on the curb, let me try to see if I can get something. I just believe they might do something out of the box," Carter said. "I'm just open to that, and I believe that you should start looking at other situations besides the draft to how they're going to look to get Tom Brady's replacement."

The 31-year-old Kaepernick hasn't played since the 2016 season, when he threw for 16 touchdowns with four interceptions for the 49ers. His national anthem protests at that point had become a point of national controversy, and after the quarterback opted out of his contract (avoiding being cut later in the offseason), no team has signed him. Kaepernick filed a collusion grievance against the NFL for keeping him out of a job -- a grievance which coincidentally was resolved on Friday afternoon.

In his five NFL seasons as a starting quarterback, he threw 72 touchdowns with 30 interceptions, averaging 7.3 yards per attempt, while also rushing for 2,300 yards and 13 touchdowns.

In:
• Colin Kaepernick
• NFL
• Tom Brady
• New England Patriots