Head Coach Pete Carroll is the latest Seattle Seahawks official to assure fans that Colin Kaepernick is still in the running to join the team.

Carroll went took pains to note that Kaepernick is not out of consideration, telling the Tacoma News Tribune, “The discussion and the opportunity is still open.”

But Carroll added, “that’s what I can’t get into” when asked if Kaepernick’s position has been undermined because he will not pledge to put an end to his protests during the playing of the national anthem.

During an interview on KJR’s Dave Softy Mahler show, Carroll also said “We’re just trying to figure out what’s best for us,” TMZ Sports reported.

The question has dogged the Seahawks since news broke that the team had canceled a meeting with the former San Francisco 49er who in 2016 invented the anti-American protest during the national anthem. The protest then spread like wildfire throughout the league over the 2016 and 2017 seasons likely adding to the massive loss of league’s TV ratings.

While the Seahawks insisted that Kaepernick was not tossed out of contention because of his refusal to disavow the anthem protests, the team did sign another backup QB only a day after news broke about the cancellation of the meeting with Kaepernick.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.