Any time soon
didn’t even play last year — instead of the former 49er.
Not exactly the kind of move you’d expect a team to make when it had a chance to pick up a QB who just five years ago led his team to a Super Bowl.
If Kaepernick is too toxic for Seattle, he’s not likely to be welcomed anywhere else in the NFL.
No, he’s not officially blackballed from the league. But he might as well be as teams in the last few months have signed lesser quarterbacks like Case Keenum and Mark Sanchez without even picking up the phone to see if Kaepernick is interested.
Taking a stand often means paying a price. In Kaepernick’s case, not standing up for the national anthem may cost him his career.
He acknowledged as much at the time, knowing that what he did would not be popular among the majority of NFL fans. Indeed, the backlash was so severe that some blamed Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the anthem for a decline in the NFL’s television ratings.
But Kaepernick said he could not show pride in a flag of a country he believes oppresses blacks and other minorities.
“If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right,” he said at the time.
Take away the controversy, and Kaepernick would seem an attractive candidate for any team looking for another quarterback. Though the 49ers went 1-10 behind him last year, he threw for 16 touchdowns against only four interceptions.
He’s not dealing with any injuries, is well-liked by fellow players and donates his time off the field to several charities. He’s also reportedly indicated he would stand for the anthem this coming season should a team give him a chance to play.
Still, there are no takers. Aside from Seattle, no team has expressed interest.
“He’s a starter in this league and I can’t imagine that somebody won’t give him a chance to play,” Carroll said last week.
Actually, it’s pretty easy to imagine.
You can kill dogs, be involved in sexual assaults or do any number of bad acts and still get a second chance in the NFL, assuming you have enough talent. Disrespect the flag in a league that sells patriotism at every turn, though, and good luck finding a job.
Kaepernick is smart enough to know that. Yet he felt his cause was so just that he took a knee with the 49ers anyway.
Praise him, if you like, for bravely going where other players feared to go. Condemn him, if that’s how you feel, for going about it the wrong way.
Just don’t expect to see him on the field anytime soon.