The NFL Draft has come and gone, and Colin Kaepernick remains a free agent. With the way things stand at the moment, it does not sound like that will be changing any time soon.
If at all.
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury news wrote a lengthy piece on Thursday trying to make sense of some of the reports that have come out about Kaepernick this offseason. From what Kawakami has learned from his own sources, Kaepernick has not had contract talks or a single meeting with an NFL team.
A source tells me that Kaepernick to this point has had no serious talks with any team about a contract and has had no meetings, which means he has not demanded a starting role or a $10M salary or a $5M salary or any of the other things circulating among the NFL gossip mill recently.
Back in March, a report claimed Kaepernick was seeking somewhere around a $10 million salary and an opportunity to earn a starting job. Kawakami believes there is no possible way that is true, as no teams have even given Kaepernick the time of day to learn of his salary demands (if he even has any).
As for the recent rumblings that Kaepernick prefers dedicating his time to activism rather than football, Kawakami is calling B.S. on that, too.
Does the activism take time? Yes. But so do a lot of things that other players and QBs do in the offseason, including golf, raise a family, do other charity work or just sit on a beach.
I am told that Kaepernick is working out five days a week, mostly in New York, and when he goes out for one of his community events, he continues to work out on the road.
“He’s not 100% committed” is just a re-setting of the old “he doesn’t study hard enough” line, and while Kaepernick may not be a Peyton Manning-Rich Gannon-style grinder, he certainly studied enough for Jim Harbaugh to believe in him.
The issue with Kaepernick is obviously complicated. When Blaine Gabbert signed with the Arizona Cardinals this week, that provided further evidence for some who believe Kaepernick is being blackballed. However, Gabbert signed for the veteran minimum. It’s unclear if Kaepernick would be willing to do the same, though it doesn’t seem like any teams are interested in finding out.
As I’ve said countless times, Kaepernick would be signed by now if he were a better player. That doesn’t mean a lack of talent is the only reason he’s a free agent, but teams simply don’t want their backup quarterback attracting all that media attention. I’m not saying that’s right, but that’s the way it goes in the NFL. If Kaepernick was a star, teams would be lining up to sign him no matter what his personal beliefs are.
