Colin Kaepernick: Former 49ers QB Contiues to Be the Ultimate Enigma

Well over a week after NFL free agency, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick remains unsigned and likely due to his national anthem protest. The reasons why reinforce he is still the league’s ultimate enigma.

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick remains a free agent.

As we know, Kaepernick opted out of his contract with the Niners just before the start of free agency on March 9.

Here we are, well over a week later, and Kap remains unsigned.

San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

Why?

A number of years ago, Bleacher Report’s Joey Akeley broke down why the quarterback was the NFL’s “ultimate enigma.” It remains one of my favorite articles out there and covers the vast contrast between Kaepernick’s strengths and weaknesses in vivid detail.

But that article didn’t touch Kaepernick’s national anthem protest from a year ago. How could it? It was written in 2014, nearly two years before anyone saw Kap take a knee.

If Kap was enigmatic then, he was tenfold by 2016.

A Ruined Reputation

Kaepernick already was under scrutiny when he broke into the league back in 2012. Just think, a heavily tattooed quarterback leading a prominent franchise to the Super Bowl.

It didn’t fit the profile. At least the preconceived, ignorant one held by those who viewed Kaepernick in a negative light for donning such ink.

Jarrett Bell of USA Today later came out and wrote why any such notion was bunk. And yet the enigma factor still hasn’t gone away.

It was only magnified by Kap’s protest.

Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman explored the protest on the issue at the beginning of 2016, shortly after the protest went viral. In speaking with some anonymous NFL executives, Freeman learned the wide majority of top league brass “truly, truly hate him.”

And it didn’t end there or die down. Even after Kaepernick hit free agency and revealed he’d stand for the anthem this upcoming season, Freeman’s latest exploration of the issue showed sentiments hadn’t really changed.

Some probably felt Kaepernick’s actions would rile a fan base. Perhaps. Just read through message boards, Twitter feeds and, likely, this article’s comment thread to see how divisive Kap can be.

But fan bases don’t win games. Players do. And this league is about wins and losses.

Perhaps Kaepernick would be a locker-room distraction. But this can’t be the case, since the 49ers presented Kap with the Len Eshmont award last season — awarded to the player playing with the most inspiration and courage, as voted on by the players themselves.

No, it can’t be that either.

Colin Kaepernick, Double Standards and Inconsistencies

Look, there are some instances Kaepernick took too far. Those pig socks at training camp? Not a good look. His praising of former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro just days before a game in Miami versus the Dolphins? Probably not smart either.

Aug 10, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) warms up during the training camp at Kezar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports /

But other athletes and football players have done much, much worse. Aggravated assault, drug abuse, animal abuse and a slew of other off-the-field flags haven’t resulted in the blacklisting Kaepernick is going through.

Here’s a parallel. Dolphins wide receiver Kenny Stills, who joined Kap in the kneel-down protest, was re-signed by Miami this offseason. No major complaints there.

So Kenny Stills still gonna kneel and got a big contract? Further proof NFL execs just hate Kap. It's not about whether he can play or not.
— Rich (@richjmadrid) March 18, 2017

OK, so maybe the quarterback market is thin. A number of teams, including the 49ers, have found guys for 2017, right?

Some. But there are voids out there. The Cleveland Browns, the Houston Texans, the New York Jets and the Denver Broncos could stand for a QB this offseason. So let’s do the side-by-side comparison to see what available free agents — based off last year’s stats — are possibilities:

Passing Table
Rk		Tm	Age	Pos	G	GS	QBrec	Cmp	Att	Cmp%	Yds	TD	Int	Lng	Y/A	Y/C	Y/G	Rate ▼	QBR	Sk
2	Ryan Fitzpatrick	NYJ	34	QB	14	11	3-8-0	228	403	56.6	2710	12	17	57	6.7	11.9	193.6	69.6	45.4	19
3	Colin Kaepernick	SFO	29	QB	12	11	1-10-0	196	331	59.2	2241	16	4	65	6.8	11.4	186.8	90.7	55.2	36

4	Case Keenum	LAR	28	QB	10	9	4-5-0	196	322	60.9	2201	9	11	65	6.8	11.2	220.1	76.4	43.4	23
5	Blaine Gabbert	SFO	27	qb	6	5	1-4-0	91	160	56.9	925	5	6	75	5.8	10.2	154.2	68.4	60.3	11
6	Robert Griffin	CLE	26	qb	5	5	1-4-0	87	147	59.2	886	2	3	58	6.0	10.2	177.2	72.5	45	22
7	Jay Cutler	CHI	33	qb	5	5	1-4-0	81	137	59.1	1059	4	5	54	7.7	13.1	211.8	78.1	33.2	17
8	Matt McGloin	OAK	27	qb	4	1	0-1-0	8	15	53.3	50	0	0	19	3.3	6.3	12.5	60.4	14.5	0
Rk		Tm	Age	Pos	G	GS	QBrec	Cmp	Att	Cmp%	Yds	TD	Int	Lng	Y/A	Y/C	Y/G	Rate	QBR	Sk

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/20/2017.

Out of the above bunch, Kaepernick is the only QB with a better-than 80 passer rating last year (90.7). And that was on a bad 49ers team with hardly any offensive weapons.

No, Kaepernick isn’t a must-have quarterback. But he’s certainly better than the alternatives at this point.

So What Is It?

Honestly, who knows. It’s an enigma — just like the one about which Akeley wrote, only this case is likely more focused on social activism. Not on-field play.

If anything, it’s a reflection on how those who make roster decisions at the NFL level feel about Kaepernick. Simply put, they don’t like him. They don’t like what he did and how he went about doing it. And that’s fine. It’s an opinion. We’re entitled to them.

But the same sentiments haven’t been echoed toward other players who have either supported, or mimicked, Kaepernick’s actions. At least nowhere near the same extent.

That’s a contradiction, a double standard.

More from Niner Noise

In all likelihood, it’s best the 49ers moved on. It was time to close that chapter. But that doesn’t mean Kaepernick should have his career closed for him.

You don’t have to like his actions either. That’s fine. But if that’s the case, you should have similar sentiments to other players — even 49ers teammates — who partook in said actions as well.

Next: 5 Possible Destinations for Colin Kaepernick

Overall, just realize how Kaepernick remains the NFL’s biggest enigma even if there’s a chance he doesn’t see the field in 2017.

Colin Kaepernick: Former 49ers Quarterback Continues to Be the Ultimate Enigma

By Peter Panacy | Mar 20, 2017