Two weeks into NFL free agency and former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick remains available. He decided to test the market in free agency after not picking up the player option on his contract.
While there's still a chance Kaepernick gets signed, a couple of Eagles players are pointing out that some of the quarterbacks to get contracts recently aren't as good.
At least 64 QBS are in the NFL...Kap doesn't have a job....but some folks who he is better than do pic.twitter.com/k92jGNl6ZX— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) March 22, 2017
Colin Kaepernick is not currently employed. However, his skill set vastly exceeds others who were on the market. 😴 https://t.co/hghtIYVcHN— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) March 22, 2017
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hhhhmmmmm... 🤔🤔🤔 @nfl GM's you can try to act like talent is the reason @Kaepernick7 isn't employed ...but we know the real reason. https://t.co/SEYHpc2K7o— Malcolm Jenkins (@MalcolmJenkins) March 21, 2017
On Monday, Geno Smith signed with the Giants, Josh McCown signed with the Jets and E.J. Manuel signed with the Raiders.
Kaepernick has a better record and completion percentage than those three quarterbacks. He's also second in touchdown passes, trailing only McCown by seven, 79-72, despite playing nine fewer seasons.
So, why aren't teams giving the quarterback who nearly won the Super Bowl against the Ravens in 2013 a chance?
It could be because of his protest of the national anthem last season.
According to Bleacher Report, about 20 percent of teams around the league believe he can play, but the others are simply using showing no interest as punishment for his protest:
"He can still play at a high level," one AFC general manager said. "The problem is three things are happening with him.
"First, some teams genuinely believe that he can't play. They think he's shot. I'd put that number around 20 percent.
"Second, some teams fear the backlash from fans after getting him. They think there might be protests or [President Donald] Trump will tweet about the team. I'd say that number is around 10 percent. Then there's another 10 percent that has a mix of those feelings.
"Third, the rest genuinely hate him and can't stand what he did [kneeling for the national anthem]. They want nothing to do with him. They won't move on. They think showing no interest is a form of punishment. I think some teams also want to use Kaepernick as a cautionary tale to stop other players in the future from doing what he did."
And of course, President Donald Trump chimed in on Kaepernick's status in free agency.
President Trump credits his Twitter wrath for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's unemployment https://t.co/rib2ftiSJv pic.twitter.com/HzdtNmjhEb— CNN (@CNN) March 21, 2017
Last year, Trump commented on Kaepernick's decision not to stand for the national anthem saying, "maybe he should find a country that works better for him."
