Last season, Colin Kaepernick threw for 2,241 yards, rushed for another 468 and accounted for 18 total touchdowns (16 passing, two rushing) and just four interceptions with a 90.7 rating over 12 games for the struggling San Francisco 49ers.

Since a number of other quarterbacks have been signed by NFL teams to serve in backup roles, it’s somewhat surprising that Kaepernick is still on the market, even despite all of the backlash that surrounded his controversial kneeling during the National Anthem last season.

Therefore, when the Seattle Seahawks met with Kaepernick at the end of last week, it seemed as though there was a good possibility that he’d sign a deal to back up Russell Wilson for his former rival.

While the two quarterbacks are very different in stature, they do a lot of the same things well and have the ability to create with not only their strong arms, but their legs with a great deal of athleticism.

But, Seahawks Pete Carroll indicated that the Seahawks would not be bringing in Kaepernick at this time, per Marc Sessler of NFL.com.

"It was another opportunity for us to keep abreast of what's available to help our team. We've done it in a million ways," Carroll said. "(General manager) John (Schneider) continues to work at every turn to figure out what's available, what we could do and does it fit, does it not fit?”

But, the main reason why Seattle didn’t sign Kaepernick might be the most surprising aspect of the entire story.

"Colin's been a fantastic football player and he's going to continue to be. At this time, we didn't do anything with him, but we know where he is, who he is and we had a chance to understand him much more," Carroll noted. "He's a starter in this league. I can't imagine that -- we have a starter, you know -- but he's a starter in this league, and I can't imagine that somebody won't give him a chance to play.”

Therefore, since Wilson’s status as the team’s starter is so strong, it’s unlikely that the Seahawks would need to pay a high-profile backup who likely wouldn’t ever step on the field in a meaningful situation.

But, since the two sides met and got to know one another, Carroll isn’t ruling out anything in the future.

"The door's always open for opportunities," Carroll said. "We're just going to try to do the best we can for our guys and whenever the opportunity presents itself, we'll see, but as of right now we know what we're doing.”

Therefore, if Kaepernick isn’t signed to start the season, there’s always the possibility that he still might end up in Seattle at some point, especially if Wilson gets injured.

While the Seahawks view the embattled Kaepernick as a starter, apparently no other team in the league has shown that they agree, as he is currently unemployed.

It remains to be seen if a team will take a leap of faith to give him a legitimate opportunity. Carroll and the Seahawks organization believe he deserves one.