Colin Kaepernick opted out of his contract with the 49ers in the offseason and has been a free agent ever since -- even though he said last month that he's "ready now" to play in the NFL. Depending on who you ask, Kaepernick's fate isn't about him being blackballed for kneeling during the national anthem last season to protest social injustice, but is simply a function of poor play in recent years.
But it's hard to reconcile that reality with one where the likes of Brian Hoyer, Josh McCown, Brock Osweiler and Brandon Weeden are currently employed in the NFL. And this goes a long way in explaining why Kaepernick has filed a collusion grievance against the owners.
In fact, according to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, the breaking point came when the Titans snubbed Kaepernick after starting quarterback Marcus Mariota suffered a hamstring injury and instead signed Weeden. Titans coach Mike Mularkey said the team didn't consider Kaepernick because he didn't know the offense. Either way, this was the impetus to Kaepernick's collusion grievance.
As CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora wrote earlier this month, "Tennessee officials were contacted and made aware of Kaepernick's fitness level, his regimen and his desire to work out for the team, but sources said the matter was unable to advance."
There was little interest in Kaepernick this offseason, though some of the most high-profile players in the league think he deserves another opportunity.
"I've always watched him and admired him, the way that he's played he was a great young quarterback," Patriots quarterback Tom Brady told Norah O'Donnell an exclusive interview with "CBS Sunday Morning" in mid-September. "He came to our stadium and beat us and took his team to the Super Bowl. He accomplished a lot in the pros as a player. And he's certainly qualified and I hope he gets a shot."
Brady's comments came several weeks after Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said this about Kaepernick's situation.
"I think he should be on a roster right now. I think because of his protests, he's not," Rodgers told ESPN The Magazine's Mina Kimes.
And even Weeden conceded that Kaepernick can still play.
"He's had a heck of a career," Weeden said earlier this month. "He played in a Super Bowl. Obviously, he's done a lot of really good things. I think us as players, we all kind of firmly believe that he's a good enough player to play in this league."
Not surprisingly, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has stated previously that Kaepernick's situation isn't a result of his activism, something Patriots owner Bob Kraft reiterated in a recent interview. And perhaps that's true but it is curious that in a quarterback-driven league woefully short on quarterbacks that Kaepernick hasn't drawn any interest in seven months.
But who knows, maybe the Packers, now without Aaron Rodgers, are the team that will sign Kaepernick, who grew up a Green Bay fan.
