Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been one of the biggest stories in the offseason as he remains unsigned despite quarterback needy teams signing less talented players as backups. With Jay Cutler agreeing to come out of retirement to play for the Dolphins, you have to wonder whether team owners have truly black balled the talented quarterback. If you want to bet on football, check out the 2017 NFL season betting odds.
The “Kaepernick situation” has been very polarizing because some people are offended by the fact that he took a knee during the singing of the national anthem in protest of police brutality and their treatment of people of color. Some argued that Kaepernick taking a knee during the anthem was disrespectful to the American flag and the men and women of the armed forces who defend it. Others didn’t have a problem with Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem because they felt it was a peaceful protest that was trying to bring attention to something that has been plaguing people of color in the country. Some even chose to join the protest including teammate Eric Reid, Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall, Dolphins running back Arian Foster, and even soccer star Megan Rapinoe.
In May, New York Giants owner John Mara fueled the rumors when he said his team wouldn’t sign the quarterback because they received several letters from their fans saying they wouldn’t attend games if any of their players took a knee like Kaepernick did. While Mara didn’t have a problem telling the truth about the situation regarding Kaepernick and his team, other coaches and owners haven’t been as forthright. The most common excuse they have given has been “football reasons,” which means he isn’t a fit for their team or they don’t want to deal with the distractions that might come with having him on the roster.
The problem with that excuse is Kaepernick has shown he is a better quarterback than Blaine Gabbert, Matt Barkley, Geno Smith, Drew Stanton, and other quarterbacks that have been signed this offseason. The distraction part is also a bad excuse because according to Chip Kelly, who coached Kaepernick while he was with the 49ers, the quarterback was never a distraction last season. His agent already told reporters he doesn’t plan on taking a knee this year so at most, any distraction would be over before the end of the preseason.
After Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco hurt his back last week, the Ravens indicated they were interested in signing Kaepernick. Head coach John Harbaugh, whose brother, Jim, coached Kaepernick with the 49ers, knows the quarterback and thinks he can help the team. General manager Ozzie Newsome, was also interested in signing Kaepernick, but they were rebuffed by owner Steve Bisciotti, who has publicly said he didn’t like Kaepernick’s method of protest and didn’t think he could help the team win.
From what has transpired this offseason, it is clear that some teams have discussed bringing in Kaepernick in an attempt to make it look like they tried to give him a shot. However, the reality is the Seattle Seahawks are the only team to invite him for a tryout.
Looking at his numbers alone, it is clear that Kaepernick is talented enough to be a starter for close to half of the NFL franchises, unfortunately, his politics do not align with the politics of the owners and some fans. If Colin Kaepernick wants to play in the NFL this season, he might want to physically assault a female, kill some dogs, or fail a few drug tests because those are the type of people the NFL owners and Kaepernick detractors want on their teams.
