Kaepernick to opt out of deal and become free agent in March

[RING4CHI]

Kaepernick to opt out of deal and become free agent in March

[wab]

Kaepernick to opt out of deal and become free agent in March

Thoughts on where he ends up?

[Boris13c]

Kaepernick to opt out of deal and become free agent in March

Thoughts on where he ends up?

I'll guess the Jets

[Rusty Trombagent]

jets isnt a bad possibility. chance to start, and they'd look pretty goofy taking a qb after taking hackenberg in the 2nd last year (as bad a move as that potentially was).

[RING4CHI]

Whether it's justified or not, is any team going to want to take on his sideshow?

[wab]

My vote is AZ.

[Rusty Trombagent]

AZ's probably ideal. It looks like Carson's coming back, but fuck if he can make it 16 games. That gives Arians some time to work with Kaep instead of throwing him into the frying pan week one.

[thunderspirit]

My vote is AZ.

West Coast guy. Arizona makes a lot of sense.

[Atkins&Rebel]

Seattle in a back up role.

[Boris13c]

I'm a bit perplexed about the stories now swirling around Kaepernick ... about how he is being treated unfairly ... Spike Lee spinning his current unemployment into a racist conspiracy

all bullshit and propaganda ... why? because Kaepernick QUIT HIS JOB ... he was the one who opted out of his contract to become a free agent ... and now he and his braindead followers are crying the blues about how unfair it all is

the man quit which is why he is unemployed at the moment

Jay Cutler was cut rather than quitting his job, and he hasn't attracted any suitors either ... but he isn't having a new story every day about how unfair life is treating him

[Boris13c]

John Harbaugh: It's intellectually lazy to say Kaepernick is being blackballed

Although several NFL players believe that Colin Kaepernick is out of a job right now because he’s being blackballed, Ravens coach John Harbaugh doesn’t feel the same way.

Harbaugh almost sounded offended at the notion that Kaepernick is being blackballed when he was asked about the subject Tuesday at the NFL’s annual league meeting.

“I would never use just a generic, stupid term like that to describe a more complicated type of situation,” Harbaugh said, via the Washington Times. “I just think it’s too easy. It’s intellectually lazy. To me, I think that it’s more nuanced. And I do think that people are, yeah, I absolutely think he’s going to get signed. I think he’ll probably be starting somewhere [in 2017].”

Players like Seattle’s Richard Sherman aren’t on the same page as Harbaugh. The Seahawks corner recently said that it’s pretty clear that Kaepernick is being shut out by teams because he’s perceived to be a distraction.

“There was a year Matt Schaub had a pretty rough year and got signed the next year,” Sherman told ESPN recently. “So it has nothing to do with football. You can see that. They signed guys who have had off years before.”

The biggest problem for Kaepernick right now is that he reportedly wants a chance to start and there doesn’t seem to be a team willing to give him that chance, which isn’t all that surprising.

[wab]

A guy who wasn't that good over the last two years and won't sign a deal unless he's given a starting job hasn't been signed? Weird.

[BlueAndOrangeDog]

[Boris13c]

NFL Still Shunning Colin Kaepernick Because of His Politics, Not His Play

This is the last time I will write about Colin Kaepernick until he signs or retires, whichever comes first. Writing about Kaepernick, who still awaits a job offer after opting out of his deal with the 49ers to become a free agent in March, takes years from your life. Sniffing glue through a straw while submerged in a pool of methane is healthier.

When you tweet about Kaepernick, clowns, socially backward people and Twitter users with green frogs in their avi tweet back. You argue with friends and non-friends alike. Professional journalists you used to respect tell you that you're dumb. (And while I am dumb, I'm not on this.)

Kaepernick, in many ways, continues to dominate the offseason. Mention his name to teams—even now—and you may be subject to a curse-filled rant. This happened after I tweeted about Kaepernick this week. My phone blew up with texts from team executives saying Kaepernick betrayed his country by shunning the national anthem. This is not the first time general managers and others in the league have said this to me. It won't be the last.

mike freeman @mikefreemanNFL

Guys: this is not difficult. Teams are avoiding Kaepernick because they don't like fact he took knee for anthem. No other reason. That's it.
5/9/2017, 3:57:04 PM

The tweet stirred fans as well, prompting thousands (and counting) of likes and led to an outpouring of both support and vitriol toward Kaepernick from fans. All this for a player who isn't even in the league.

The reason Kaepernick still hasn't been signed, I've been told by dozens of team officials this week, is because of the political stance he took in not standing for the flag last season to protest racial inequality. Believe that. Or don't. It's up to you.

Why does this story still affect us the way it does? Kaepernick is planning to stand for the anthem this fall. He spent a day handing out suits at a New York City parole office. Yet everyone remains hardened in their positions on him, refusing to leave their various corners on it.

Part of the answer is in Peter King's recent MMQB.com column, in which 49ers officials told him they believe Kaepernick preferred activism to playing football. The report caused a huge reaction on social media, leading The Nation's Dave Zirin to contact Kaepernick, who told Zirin explicitly he wanted to still play. Zirin posted Kaepernick's response on Twitter.

Dave Zirin @EdgeofSports

Having spoken to Kaepernick, I can say - in contradiction to anonymous NFL claims made to Peter King - he has not "moved on" from football
5/9/2017, 2:08:17 PM

It was a fascinating moment. A team tried to create a false narrative about Kaepernick, and he responded almost in real time. Zirin's post sparked yet another discussion on social media that veered beyond football and into politics and issues of social justice.

Kaepernick remains one of the notable stories in football because he wasn't, and isn't, just a football story. He is a mirror for our political views and sense of self. In many ways, he's become a tool used by both sides of America's left-right divide.

Left-leaning NFL fans (and non-fans) see Kaepernick as being shunned by the NFL for taking a knee during the anthem; right-leaning folks see him as a washed-up player. The middle ground, as it does in so many cases in America, gets drowned out.

Kaepernick has found himself at the middle of all of the things we fight over, on the field, and off of it.

This story won't go away despite Kaepernick being forced to. For now, at least.

I think Gabbert getting a contract before Kaepernick sort of backs up Freeman's thoughts on this

[wab]

I'm kinda starting to feel bad for the dude.

[Boris13c]

I'm kinda starting to feel bad for the dude.

well, he did sort of create his own mess

his protest was valid as the problems he was speaking about do exist ... his method of protest just didn't go over so well

I had expected the Cardinals to sign him ... when they instead signed Gabbert, I kind of scratched my head

[wab]

I've read that he's not very well liked in the locker room. That he comes off as spoiled and entitled. And that his protest was more about drawing attention to him than the actual issue at hand.

If that indeed is the case, then I can see why a team wouldn't want the headache.

[Boris13c]

agreed ... if his "protest" was the siren call of an attention whore, that would be much different than an actual protest about social injustices ... and result in a very deserved negative reaction

[o-pus #40 in B major]

Funny how political discourse is hard to completely avoid, even where prohibited. It sneaks up on you.

[Rusty Trombagent]

And that his protest was more about drawing attention to him than the actual issue at hand.

which is, cmon, complete bullshit. he's done a ton of stuff that barely gets any attention at all.

like, do you really believe, even though he's completely out of the spotlight, that he gave 25k to a food bank in north minneapolis to draw attention to himself?
http://www.startribune.com/kaepernick-d ... 409976385/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

the nfl doesnt want to deal with a outwardly progressive football player at qb, because the nfl's morals are as shady as they come. so it's in their interest to leak that he's "not liked in the locker room", which despite countless players coming out and saying kaep's their boy, seems to persist.

[southdakbearfan]

And that his protest was more about drawing attention to him than the actual issue at hand.

which is, cmon, complete bullshit. he's done a ton of stuff that barely gets any attention at all.

like, do you really believe, even though he's completely out of the spotlight, that he gave 25k to a food bank in north minneapolis to draw attention to himself?
http://www.startribune.com/kaepernick-d ... 409976385/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

the nfl doesnt want to deal with a outwardly progressive football player at qb, because the nfl's morals are as shady as they come. so it's in their interest to leak that he's "not liked in the locker room", which despite countless players coming out and saying kaep's their boy, seems to persist.

The NFL's morals are as follows:

If you can win games, regardless of how big of turd/dipshit/douchebag you are, you get a job, unless it costs us money with sponsors.

So, Crappershit either falls in the following:

Can't win games - and seriously, he looked like henry burris missing an arm against the bears last year.

Or, too big of turd/dipshit/douchebag that sponsors don't want to touch.

I am going for option #1 as I think he was a flash in the pan QB that teams figured out exactly what to take away to make him ineffective. That on top of the other baggage just make him not worth it.

I think he would have been cut at the end of the preseason last season, except he started the kneeling protest movement so the team couldn't cut him for fear of repercussions.

Remember the colts kicker that was so funny/outlandish with his comments (Vanderjackt). It was all great, until he started missing kicks, and then his ass was cut. He got one more attempt and didn't cut it with the cowboys either.

[Atkins&Rebel]

Seattle in a back up role.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000 ... backup-qbs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Speaking to 710 ESPN Seattle on Monday, coach Pete Carroll was asked if the team looked to add either big-name free agent Colin Kaepernick or Robert Griffin III as potential backups.
"We're looking at everybody. We really are," Carroll said, via ESPN.com. "We've been tracking everything that's going on, and we've got cap and roster issues and stuff like that that we're still trying to manage properly. But quite frankly, yes, we are looking at all those guys."

Well hasn't happened yet...but its probably his best option.

[southdakbearfan]

Probably his best fit for his skillset outside of the panthers that I can think of. Both offenses run a lot of helter skelter plays or they at least end up that way.

[Boris13c]

Seahawks reached out to Colin Kaepernick’s agent on Friday

Colin Kaepernick is getting interest from an NFL team for the first time this offseason.

After Kaepernick said on Thursday night that he and his agent have not talked to any teams, the Seahawks reached out on Friday. According to Mike Silver of NFL Media, Seahawks G.M. John Schneider contacted Kaepernick’s agent on Friday to express the Seahawks’ interest in signing Kaepernick as a backup to starting quarterback Russell Wilson.

There’s no word on whether any contract terms were discussed, nor has Kaepernick said whether he’d sign a minimum-salary contract to work as a backup, or whether he wants more than that.

good fit I think ... if Kaepernick is smart, he'll negotiate in good faith to get this job

[wab]

Other than AZ, there's really no better place for him to go. He won't start, but it'll be a good place to rebuild his value. Especially with Boykin's off the field stuff.

[Boris13c]

yes, it looks like he is going to benefit from the stupidity of someone else ... which is fine

what I don't get are the people wringing their hands over whether or not Kaepernick is being treated fairly and whether o r not he will get a chance to play again

he walked away from $14 mil ... left it on the table and said adios thinking he would reap much more as someone else's starter ... and now he is faced with the prospect of a much lower salary in a backup role ... and he has no one to blame but himself ... he should have stayed in San Fran and competed for the job there, and even if he was relegated to #2, he'd still have his $14 mil

[Boris13c]

Kaepernick continues personal quest, doesn’t seem worried about being out of NFL

Colin Kaepernick is still without an NFL job, but he doesn’t seem to be too worried about that.

The former 49ers quarterback – who opted out of his contract in March and made headlines last season with his protest of the national anthem and other social activism – recently traveled to Ghana, which he called “home” Tuesday on Twitter.

The social media posts came days after 49ers general manager John Lynch said during a KNBR interview that if Kaepernick wants to play football, he should let NFL leaders know.

Other than a meeting with the Seattle Seahawks in late May, Kaepernick hasn’t sparked much interest around NFL front offices. Despite his activism, which has turned some people off, others would like to see the quarterback play and fans are still purchasing his No. 7 49ers jersey.

he wants to be an activist, good for him ... but I find it curious so many others are wringing their hands over his lack of current NFL opportunities when the man himself doesn't appear too concerned nor interested

[Boris13c]

Joe Montana calls Colin Kaepernick ‘distraction,’ likens QB skills to those of Tim Tebow

Some NFL observers assume that Colin Kaepernick’s inability to latch on with a team is solely based on his protests during the national anthem last season, but Joe Montana begs to differ. The three-time Super Bowl MVP says that Kaepernick’s passing skills are as much a problem as the “distractions” he caused in the locker room.

In fact, Montana likened Kaepernick’s ability to throw the football to that of Tim Tebow, whose notoriously slow and inaccurate arm was the main reason his NFL career was so brief. The greatest quarterback in the history of the 49ers, if not the entire league, Montana made it clear that he would be just as happy to never see Kaepernick in a San Francisco uniform again.

“Everyone thinks it is the stance he took; one of the things you don’t look for is distractions in the locker room,” Montana recently said to the Sporting News. “You can go back to Bill Walsh and as soon as there were guys that weren’t fitting in what he was looking for, it didn’t matter how good you were. You weren’t on the team for very long.

“You have to have people who want the same thing, fighting for the same thing and willing to put in the time.”

The “willing to put in the time” remark echoes skepticism from other 49ers-related figures about Kaepernick’s dedication to the sport. In May, MMQB’s Peter King wrote, “I spent a long draft weekend with the Niners in California, and there are those in the building who think Kaepernick might actually rather do social justice work full-time than play quarterback.”

San Francisco General Manager John Lynch spelled it out in June, when he said of Kaepernick’s priorities, “I think there is a perception that football is not at the top of the list.”

When asked if he thought Kaepernick would be on an NFL roster by the beginning of the season, Montana said, “I’m not sure, I think [if] there’s an injury somewhere he probably gets in.” He added, “In most cases, you look at Tim Tebow — a great guy and everybody was talking about him.

“But what it comes down to is 40 percent completion or even in the low 50s, you can’t win in the league with that. You won’t be in the league very long. It comes down to his play as much as anything.”

[Boris13c]

Richard Sherman sees three NFL teams with worse starting QBs than Kaepernick

The Colin Kaepernick story is one that is not going anywhere until the free-agent quarterback is signed by an NFL team, and even then it will not subside into the background for quite some time.

As Kaepernick continues to twist in the wind, many players around the league have made the case that Kaepernick is being blackballed. One such person is Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, who spoke to USA Today's Jarrett Bell about the topic.

Sherman cited three specific cases where he thinks Kap would be a better starting quarterback. Sherman mentioned Blake Bortles of the Jaguars, Jared Goff of the Rams and "whoever is starting for the Jets" as quarterbacks that should not have jobs over Kaepernick.

"For you to say you have to check with sponsors and fans because this guy took a knee and made a statement?" Sherman said. "Now if you told me this guy threw eight pick-sixes last year and played like a bum, had no talent, that's one thing. But Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Mallett or whoever is playing for the Jets right now -- whoever is starting for the Jets is terrible -- have jobs. You're telling me fans would rather you lose and put a worse player out there because a guy took a stand? That's where it's so troublesome to me."

He's not necessarily wrong about the Jets situation, although he clearly doesn't have a handle on New York's depth chart. Josh McCown, Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty are the guys the Jets will be running out to win games in 2017. Fitzpatrick is in Tampa Bay as a backup to Jameis Winston and Mallett is in Baltimore as backup to Joe Flacco.

The latter situation is the most interesting because Flacco is now injured, leaving the Ravens, who are dealing with a whole host of injury problems this offseason, in a precarious position. While the Ravens have come out and said they're contemplating signing Kap, they are botching their public handling the situation, claiming interest in the quarterback but needing to speak with fans and sponsors about it. They had to check in on the matter with Ray Lewis, which is ... something. (Everything else aside, Lewis told Kap previously to "take the flag out" of his protests.)

Statements are being released to contradict reports of ownership meddling in the decision. It's a nightmare and it's only creating more noise surrounding the situation.

The Dolphins are possibly in the Kaepernick mix now too, with Ryan Tannehill going down in training camp with a potential left leg injury. Retired Fox Sports broadcaster Jay Cutler might make more sense for Miami anyway, and if he gets signed, well, you better load the hot-take cannon.

There will be additional outcry, with plenty of it coming from players on current NFL rosters. On the other hand, Sherman could also ask his own coach why the Seahawks passed on the opportunity to sign Kaepernick, assuming he's as good as Sherman thinks.

that last part is certainly curious ... seems Sherman didn't check in with his coach before speaking out ... of all the teams who perhaps needed a backup at the time, Seattle seemed like an ideal fit for Kaepernick ... yet the Seahawks passed on him and signed Austin Davis

[Boris13c]

James ‘Shack’ Harris says it’s a ‘shame’ that Colin Kaepernick isn’t playing

The James "Shack" Harris NFL experience covers six decades, from NFL quarterback in 1969 to retiring NFL team personnel executive in 2015. Harris is 70.

His toils through bigotry and blackballing began in the late 1940s in Monroe, La. Living through more of it as a black NFL quarterback makes Harris a quintessential voice on the quandary of Colin Kaepernick.

"I think he’s one of the better quarterbacks, and he should have an opportunity right now to be playing," Harris said. "Obviously, there are reasons he is not with a team that have nothing to do with his ability to play. There are differences in our situations as black quarterbacks, but the similarity is all about opportunity. And that’s a shame."

Kaepernick remains unsigned despite having led the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance and despite throwing 16 touchdown passes and four interceptions last season on a woeful 2-14 team. Much of the NFL insists this is a football decision more than it’s blackballing Kaepernick for his police brutality and civil rights protests that included his kneels during pregame national anthem renditions.

That "football decision" stance is one that Harris and many others find nonsensical.

Harris played at Grambling and in 1969 was an eighth-round pick, No. 192, by the old AFL’s Buffalo Bills. That year he became the first black quarterback to start an NFL season. He was only the second black quarterback in the NFL, coming into the league one year after Denver’s Marlon Briscoe. Harris played for the Bills (’69-’72), Rams (’73-’76) and Chargers (’77-’81).

In Harris’ 1974 Rams season, he became the first black quarterback to start and win a playoff game. But prior to the 1977 Rams season, Harris was traded to the Chargers. Rams head coach Chuck Knox pleaded to retain him, but Rams owner Carroll Rosenbloom insisted on the trade.

Harris has lived the impact of ownership in quarterback decisions in general and in black quarterback decisions in particular.