With more than one month into free agency, Colin Kaepernick still cannot find a job in the NFL, let alone get a phone call for a visit.
Kaepernick must have known that at some point, the bed he lay in, which was in the form of his stances against police brutality against minorities, among other things, would come back to get him, because almost immediately after announcing that he was opting out of his contract with the 49ers, he said he would stop kneeling and now stand during the National Anthem.
And yet, no franchise has seemed to really care about his change in stance regarding the National Anthem.
Last season rumors abounded that he was on the move to Denver for the right price, and upon becoming a free agent this offseason, a number of teams immediately seemed to come into the picture, with Cleveland and Houston among them.
Problem is, that interest seemed to be more logical in coming from fans and analysts than from the teams themselves because Kaepernick’s phone has been silent since March.
The fundamental argument seems to be that the reason for his continued unemployment has more to do with his diminishing skills rather than his politics, and there is some validation in that.
Kaepernick isn’t the same dominant player he was in 2012 and 2013. Statistics aside, his play overall has seemed to decline. After two straight seasons that ended in a Super Bowl and conference title game, Kaepernick looked very average in 2014, as the 49ers finished 8-8. In 2015, he was benched in favor of Blaine Gabbert, and in 2016, he started the season on the bench, eventually replacing Gabbert.
And despite the solid numbers he put up with Chip Kelly, the 49ers were terrible, often falling behind big in games. There was also that game in Chicago when Colin completed just one of five passes for four yards. Yes, 1 of 5 for 4 yards against the Chicago Bears.
That part we get. His skills aren’t what they used to be. But let’s be honest here…you cannot seriously argue that EJ Manuel, Geno Smith, TJ Yates, or Kellen Moore, among a few names, are better than Kaepernick is, or offer more upside than he does.
Once you present the evidence on some of the signings going on, on top of the lack of interest in Colin, you’ve got to eventually realize that Colin Kaepernick is being blackballed by the National Football League.
There seems to be the sense that despite other QBs having a lower ceiling than Kaepernick, they aren’t a distraction like he’s viewed as.
And it’s not just about his kneeling down for the National Anthem, which some viewed as disrespectful towards the military, it’s about him wearing socks that showed police officers as pigs. It’s his public statements about Fidel Castro, which upset many fans in Miami prior to the 49ers visit there. Hell, you could even toss in his statements regarding the election, then turning around and saying he wasn’t going to vote.
This is the real reason why Kaepernick, a player who once ran for 181-yards in a playoff game, cannot find a job in the NFL, let alone get a phone call.
Enough with the “league figured him out” or “his skills are diminishing” argument, if you truly believe that’s the reason for his continued unemployment, then add yourself to the ignorance train.
The simple truth is, like it or not, here it is: Colin Kaepernick is being blackballed by the NFL.
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