Torrey Smith says his former teammate is being blackballed and treated more harshly than players in the league who have committed crimes.

New York Giants co-owner John Mara recently said that he received a number of "emotional" letters from fans saying that if any Giants players protest the way Kaepernick did, by kneeling during the national anthem, they would never come to another game.

"I heard he's one of the best owners in the league, so I don't want people to think I'm disrespecting this guy. I'm not," Smith said. "But it's just the fact that he commented about people, the fans, being mad about that but you just had a [kicker] on your team who you were trying to hold onto for dear life until it was too late."

Smith was referencing Josh Brown, whom the Giants re-signed despite a domestic violence allegation against him. They ultimately released Brown in October.

"People are accepting and willing to [forgive] people when they beat the hell out of women, sell drugs, do whatever and commit all kinds of crimes and you're able to forget that," said Smith, who is now with the Philadelphia Eagles. "I'm a believer in second chances. I believe in second chances for a guy like [Bengals rookie] Joe Mixon, even though I'm an advocate against domestic violence.

"But I think you have to be open-minded to know that [Kaepernick] did not commit a crime, he didn't hurt anybody, he didn't do anything. It was a protest, and now people are kind of locking him out or don't want to support anybody that's associated with him when you're willing to support people who beat women, do all kinds of other crazy things. It just doesn't make sense."

The Seattle Seahawks are unlikely to sign Colin Kaepernick.

The Seahawks have been the only team to express interest in Kaepernick this offseason.

Despite starting last season for the San Francisco 49ers, Kaepernick has received little to no interest in free agency.

Kaepernick kneeled during the national anthem throughout the 2016 season, but he's said he won't do so again in 2017.

A few months after winning the Super Bowl, Richard Sherman brought an unexpected intensity to a Seattle Seahawks' practice that triggered multiple scuffles. 

Sherman picked off Russell Wilson and sought to get inside the head of one of the NFL's most celebrated young quarterbacks.

"You f---ing suck!" yelled Sherman as he threw the ball back to Wilson.

Less than a year later, Wilson was picked off by Malcolm Butler on the one-yard line in Super Bowl XLIX.

Sherman has told teammates and friends that he believes the Seahawks should have won multiple Super Bowls by now. Sherman and the Seahawks are also open to a parting of ways via trade.

Sherman believes Pete Carroll hasn't held Wilson or many young Seahawks to the standard of their defense.

"He's always looking at what other people are doing," says a former assistant coach who has had many talks with Sherman. "He's made it personal. It's your fault we're not winning. It wears guys thin."

Sherman and Carroll have held several private conversations this offseason. Sherman had told friends that he allowed himself to imagine playing for the Cowboys, maybe the Patriots, hoping Lynch would come out of retirement and join him in New England. The Seahawks weren't trading Sherman, however, unless a bad team offered multiple first round picks.

The Seattle Seahawks are scheduled to work out some veteran quarterbacks and Colin Kaepernick is slated to be among them, according to sources.

Pete Carroll said earlier this month that the Seahawks would consider Kaepernick when looking for a backup to Russell Wilson.

Cortez Kennedy has died at the age of 48.

Kennedy was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012.

Kennedy was an eight-time Pro Bowler at defensive tackle with the Seattle Seahawks.

The Seahawks drafted Kennedy third overall in 1990 out of Miami.

The Seattle Seahawks plan to run the ball more in 2017.

The ground game struggled last season due to Marshawn Lynch's departure, injuries to running backs and a disastrous offensive line.

"We definitely will," Pete Carroll said of running more. "We lost 100-something runs last year. And that was basically the story. That was basically the tale of why everything came about as it did. The defense had to do some more stuff. We had to throw the ball more. We had to pass protect more and all of that because the running game got knocked up.

"With the quarterback being a mess and the running back situation, everybody being banged up, we were just unable to find it. So I think we'll come roaring right back at it."

Michael Bennett believes that the Seattle Seahawks would be the "perfect place" for Colin Kaepernick.

Pete Carroll admitted on Monday that the Seahawks were considering Kaepernick as a possible backup to Russell Wilson.

"I think a person that's dedicating their life to creating change, why wouldn't you want that type of leadership in your locker room?" Bennett told 710 ESPN Seattle. "Why wouldn't you want a young person that's dealt with people wanting to kill him because of his choices in life? So I don't know why people feel like that is a problem.

"I think that Kaepernick getting the opportunity to be on our team would be really cool, would really be a good place for him because you have a coach like coach [Pete] Carroll who is up for challenges like that. You have an owner who spends and gives back to the homeless. You've got players on your team that give back in the community. You've got Russell Wilson who shows that our team is built around community. So this is a perfect place for him."

Eddie Lacy weighed in at 253 pounds on Monday, earning a $55,000 bonus from the Seattle Seahawks for being under 255 pounds.

Lacy's contract with the Seahawks contains seven potential weight bonuses worth a total of $385,000. The next weigh-in will be on June 12 and requires him to be at 250 pounds or less, according to a league source.

"He looks awesome. He looks great," Pete Carroll said on 710 ESPN Seattle's Brock and Salk show. "He's huge. And he's going to keep playing huge. He did a fantastic job. He's done everything we've asked him to do. He's doing great.

"His attitude about it has been great. He's worked with the support system that we put in place and [has been] highly successful."

The Seattle Seahawks are considering Colin Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III as options at backup quarterback, according to Pete Carroll.

The Seattle want to create competition behind Russell Wilson.

"We're looking at everybody. We really are," Carroll said. "We've been tracking everything that's going on, and we've got cap and roster issues and stuff like that that we're still trying to manage properly. But quite frankly, yes, we are looking at all those guys."