Colin Kaepernick: The Market for Former 49ers Quarterback Remains Awfully Quiet
By Peter Panacy
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick remains a free agent after opting out of his contract with the Niners this offseason. To date, there doesn’t appear to be any suitors for his services.
Here’s a crazy though, as dutifully pointed out by Niners Wire’s Chris Biderman — both quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III are free agents on the open market with virtually zero interest from any teams around the NFL.
Just imagine saying that back in 2012.
The San Francisco 49ers’ former quarterback, of course, opted out of his contract this offseason and became a free agent.
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Even if he had stayed, it’s all but likely the new 49ers regime would have cut him. Sure, they could have brought him back on a less-expensive deal. But the whole “clean slate” thing going on in Santa Clara suggested otherwise.
Yet even with more than a handful of quarterback-needy teams this offseason, interest in Kaepernick is next to nothing.
If anything at all.
Exploring the Free-Agent Market
NFL free agency wasn’t going to provide a lengthy list of top-tier quarterbacks this offseason. Especially not, after Kirk Cousins received yet another franchise tag from the Washington Redskins.
And the 2017 NFL Draft isn’t particularly deep or talented at the position either.
So that would suggest QB-hungry teams might hone in on Kaepernick, right? After all, his stats last year under former 49ers head coach Chip Kelly weren’t all that bad — notable, considering how bereft of talent San Francisco was.
In early February, Niner Noise explored possible landing spots for Kaepernick this offseason.
Related Story: Possible Destinations for Quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2017
The five teams suggested were the Chicago Bears, New York Jets, Houston Texans, Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns.
But the conclusion of the article suggested Kaepernick might not even be in the NFL when things kick off in Week 1 of the 2017 season. Why?
Well, nobody wants him.
Colin Kaepernick’s Protest Ruined His Chances
Let’s rewind back to the 2016 preseason and Kaepernick’s decision to first sit, then kneel, during the national anthem.
We remember this well. The movement became larger than football and even worked its way up to former President Barack Obama.
Whether or not you agree with the protest — and that’s not the point of this article — Kaepernick was taking a major gamble on his own reputation around the league. And, as it turned out, his chances to continue playing in the NFL.
Back in August, Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman wrote how Kap’s actions turned off more than just a handful of NFL executives around the league.
“I don’t want him anywhere near my team. He’s a traitor.” — NFL executive on Colin Kaepernick
Speaking anonymously, of course, these execs said stuff like, “I don’t want him anywhere near my team. He’s a traitor.” Or “He has no respect for our country. F–k that guy.”
Those polled by Freeman felt that 90 to 95 percent of other executives around the league felt the same way.
Kaepernick noted he plans on standing for the national anthem this upcoming season.
But as Doug Gottlieb of CBS Sports Radio noted shortly thereafter, the change of heart seems more like a former college student deleting all of his or her online party photos before heading into a crucial interview.
Who knows. In fact the motivation behind Kaepernick’s decision change doesn’t matter either.
The damage has been done.
A Change of Action but No Change in Feeling
Freeman reopened how NFL executives were feeling about the quarterback’s stance entering the 2017 offseason.
Not surprisingly, little has changed.
“Some of these execs, reached during the combine, said they felt the same way about Kaepernick now,” Freeman wrote. “One called him ‘an embarrassment to football’.”
Freeman went on to point out how prospect interviews at the NFL Scouting Combine earlier, in February and March, included questions about Kaepernick and protests.
“Teams are trying to gauge if they would have a potential Kaepernick situation,” one player agent said, via Freeman.
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And that’s where things stand now. Even the 49ers, who embraced Kaepernick’s protest and even supported his charities, have parted ways as amicably as possible.
No one else seems to be calling either.
So that’s how things panned out for the embattled quarterback. Sure, it’s still possible an NFL team comes calling. Perhaps the free-agent market dries up, the NFL Draft doesn’t provide a solution and some NFL squad needs a warm body to fill the void under center.
Next: 10 Worst Quarterbacks in 49ers Franchise History
As of now, no one wants that body to be Kaepernick’s.