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

[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.

[Boris13c]

Who sparked Colin Kaepernick rally? Point finger at Ravens owner

It stands to reason that the NFL isn’t all that excited about a rally in support of free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick taking place later this month outside its headquarters in Midtown Manhattan.

If so, it shouldn’t blame Kaepernick. It should direct all complaints to Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, who all but begged for such events when he noted last week that one of the factors in the team’s consideration of signing Kaepernick was fan opinion.

“We’re very sensitive to it,” Bisciotti said at a Ravens fan event. “We’re monitoring it and we’re still, as [general manager Ozzie Newsome] says, ‘We’re scrimmaging it.’ We’re trying to figure out what’s the right tact.

“Pray for us.”

You asked for fan opinion, well, here’s some fan opinion. Maybe the rally should begin with a prayer for the Ravens.

No one knows how big the event will be. It’s clearly hastily arranged – the online advertisement promoting it was published Tuesday morning and actually misspells Kaepernick’s name (they forgot an “e” and spelled it “Kapernick”).

Still, Spike Lee has already tweeted his support. Five different civil rights organizations have their logos on the online ad. The media has jumped on the story. There will certainly be cameras, lots and lots of cameras. Footage of people jamming up a New York sidewalk, shouting up at NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, always makes for good television. Opinions won’t be hard to monitor.

In terms of getting Kaepernick a quarterbacking job in the NFL, this rally is likely to be counterproductive. Ambiguous and so-called “distractions” are a common card played against Kaepernick (and other players in various situations) by NFL teams. And it is true. Control-freak NFL coaches tend to hate distractions, big or small. Park Avenue rallies certainly qualify as fairly big.

It’s also true they will overlook just about anything if the player is a star, which Kaepernick no longer is. Bisciotti, for example, never felt the need to monitor much of anything when it came to linebacker Ray Lewis, despite the fact he pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice in a double homicide.

Lewis was the franchise’s greatest player and the key to two Super Bowl titles. The fans would have voted overwhelmingly for him anyway. They just want to win. That’s how the world works – in football and out.

[bearsfaninaz]

Lmao. He chose to kneel then he chose to opt out of his contract. Now owners are choosing not to sign him. He's been on decline since Harbaugh left and anyone that followed could see it. He dug his hole now he can lie down in it and let the dirt just shower over him.

[karhu]

Jeebus, some of the vitriol here.

He's a strong-armed, athletic QB from a small school that ran a gimmicky offense. He's Jeff Driskel without the HS pedigree; Pat Mahomes without the level of competition; Johnny Manziel without the affluenza (or level of competition); Brandon Weeden without the Depends (or level of competition); Mitch Tru- Kidding.

In any case, he did well in an NFL offense that played to his strengths, but outside that offense, and without an overwhelmingly good defense, he sorta looked like...a strong-armed, athletic QB from a small school that ran a gimmicky offense. He was just better, for a time and under very specific conditions, than most guys who fit that bill. That impresses me, as far as it goes.

But now, almost inevitably for a guy with that resume, teams have enough tape on him and he's not very effective at all. He just isn't.

That all became clear before his (self-possessed, even stoic) gestures of protest.

[Cribbing from a FB post made by a KFFLer] Malcolm Jenkins, on the other hand, protested throughout last season and has the same starting job he earned years ago. Because he's a good player.

If some folks want to make Kaepernick out to be a martyr, why not just point out that he's an ineffective NFL QB who like nearly every QB ever drafted didn't develop a game to match his college production and raw potential, but who unlike them had himself a really admirable run?

Calling him names and wishing him dead go way beyond any sort of sensible football fan's opinion of his play. Just as surely as decrying his lack of a spot on a roster does.

[wab]

Jeebus, some of the vitriol here.

He's a strong-armed, athletic QB from a small school that ran a gimmicky offense. He's Jeff Driskel without the HS pedigree; Pat Mahomes without the level of competition; Johnny Manziel without the affluenza (or level of competition); Brandon Weeden without the Depends (or level of competition); Mitch Tru- Kidding.

In any case, he did well in an NFL offense that played to his strengths, but outside that offense, and without an overwhelmingly good defense, he sorta looked like...a strong-armed, athletic QB from a small school that ran a gimmicky offense. He was just better, for a time and under very specific conditions, than most guys who fit that bill. That impresses me, as far as it goes.

But now, almost inevitably for a guy with that resume, teams have enough tape on him and he's not very effective at all. He just isn't.

That all became clear before his (self-possessed, even stoic) gestures of protest.

[Cribbing from a FB post made by a KFFLer] Malcolm Jenkins, on the other hand, protested throughout last season and has the same starting job he earned years ago. Because he's a good player.

If some folks want to make Kaepernick out to be a martyr, why not just point out that he's an ineffective NFL QB who like nearly every QB ever drafted didn't develop a game to match his college production and raw potential, but who unlike them had himself a really admirable run?

Calling him names and wishing him dead go way beyond any sort of sensible football fan's opinion of his play. Just as surely as decrying his lack of a spot on a roster does.

1000 internet points for you sir.

I can guarantee with 100% certainty, that if Kap had never taken a knee during the anthem, this wouldn't even be a thing. He still wouldn't be on a team for the exact reasons you state and no one would even look sideways at it.

[Boris13c]

[Cribbing from a FB post made by a KFFLer] Malcolm Jenkins, on the other hand, protested throughout last season and has the same starting job he earned years ago. Because he's a good player.

there were other players who also joined in taking a knee ... but as you point out, they were higher level guys who can still play, so they have no residual issues

another thing many fail to accept - Kaepernick turned down the option on his contract to become a free agent ... he wasn't cut ... if he had accepted the option, he would be in the 49ers camp right now ... he may well have eventually been cut, but he would have had the chance to show he could play well enough not to be

[G08]

I don't want to get into the politics of it but I find it hard to believe there are 64 QBs in the NFL better than this dude.

It might not be the 'main' or only reason, but his protesting last season is something that immediately will be brought up if he is ever signed by another NFL team. Probably the first question asked, I would think. In a league designed to keep everything "in house" and to not stir the pot, his acquisition would be an immediate concern I would think.

[wab]

Politics certainly doesn't help. I'd say aside from skill, teams probably don't want to deal with the media associated with bringing him on.

[Boris13c]

I don't want to get into the politics of it but I find it hard to believe there are 64 QBs in the NFL better than this dude.

It might not be the 'main' or only reason, but his protesting last season is something that immediately will be brought up if he is ever signed by another NFL team. Probably the first question asked, I would think.

I'll agree with you ... he is not a great QB, but if not for his sideshow, he would have been signed as a backup at least before some of the guys who have been

Dallas signed 36 year old Luke McCown and Jerry Jones was quoted as saying -

Luke McCown was the most recent free-agent quarterback to find a job, signing with the Cowboys on Friday to provide depth after backup Zac Dysert suffered a back injury. The addition of the 36-year-old McCown, who has never started more than four games in a season since coming into the league in 2004, means Colin Kaepernick remains on the lookout for his next NFL opportunity.

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones explained why he preferred McCown to Kaepernick.

"We really have our guys set in a way that Luke fit what we wanted from our third quarterback," Jones said, via ESPN.com. "... Dak [Prescott] is obviously No. 1. [Kellen] Moore obviously is No. 2, and so we're looking for more somebody that we can evaluate and train and possibly be a quarterback of the future."

That makes sense; Kaepernick is 29, has 58 career starts, and doesn't fit the mold of scout team quarterback looking to grow into a more permanent role in the future.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/jerr ... aepernick/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and of course the Ravens signed an Arena League guy rather than Kaepernick and turned their whole part of this into a sideshow of its own

and what about the Jets? you're telling me, playing wise, he couldn't make that team? they just kicked Hackenburg out of practice because he couldn't break the huddle correctly :

The New York Jets have been looking for an answer to their quarterback woes since Mark Sanchez left the franchise in 2012 and many had hoped that 2016 second-round pick Christian Hackenberg would eventually become the long-term starter under center.

But judging by a few anecdotes coming out of training camp, there's still plenty of room for improvement.

A report in the MMQB from Sports Illustrated's Tim Rohan noted that Hackenberg was sent off the field on Monday after struggling to break the huddle correctly.

During one rep in seven-on-seven drills, as he approached the line of scrimmage, a coach ordered him to re-huddle. When he broke the huddle again — in the wrong fashion for a second time — he was ordered off the field.

http://www.businessinsider.com/christia ... dle-2017-8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[southdakbearfan]

I don't want to get into the politics of it but I find it hard to believe there are 64 QBs in the NFL better than this dude.

It might not be the 'main' or only reason, but his protesting last season is something that immediately will be brought up if he is ever signed by another NFL team. Probably the first question asked, I would think. In a league designed to keep everything "in house" and to not stir the pot, his acquisition would be an immediate concern I would think.

I have heard this reasoning, but I think you need to cut the # of positions he would be better in way down as to the type of offense you want him to run. The only teams I see any semblance of fit are Seattle and Buffalo.

He simply is a bad pocket passer. Let him run around and playground it and he is ok, but teams have figured out how to combat that quite a bit as well. With a 2nd or 3rd string guys being potential starters at positions like WR and TE do you want them running the offense correctly behind a lesser talented QB or a much higher talented QB that really doesn't make reads or run within the confines of a prototypical offense that you want your backups to be able to run when they are called upon?

It's just another reason, aside from the sideshow, that teams are most likely looking at when considering signing him.

[malk]

He's not a good starter but, unless he's still asking for big money, he's being blackballed. It's easy to say that other players have protested and still made teams because they were better but that isn't the point. He's good enough for a roster spot somewhere and isn't getting it.

Just think of all the controversial players that the NFL does give roster spots to. Domestic violence, DUIs, firearms charges. They all get an extra chance or two.

But I'm anti-patriotism so perhaps that's it.