Colin Kaepernick made headlines this past season with his decision to kneel during the anthem that is sung at every NFL game to express his dissatisfaction with the killing of unarmed blacks by police officers.
Controversy was sure to follow and he was criticized for disrespecting the american flag and what it represents. Joel Klatt, college football analyst, claims, "I was immediately frustrated. I was disappointed and felt like that was a disrespectful act to my father (ex-military). " However, many such as Ray Lewis, Shannon Sharpe, Jim Harbaugh, and others have passionately described their support and advice to Kaepernick. Free agency began on March 9th and since then other free agent quarterbacks like Matt Barkley, Chase Daniel, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Nick Foles, Mike Glennon, Brian Hoyer, Josh McCown, Aaron Murray, Geno Smith, Dan Orlovsky, and Austin Davis have been signed. Colin Kaepernick's passer rating exceeds every of these quarterbacks except for Nick Foles who barely edges him out by 88.1 to 87.78. Matt Barkley threw six picks in a single game, Chase Daniel has barely played in the last two years, Fitzpatrick had a passer rating below 70 this past season, Mike Glennon has little playing experience and will still make 18 million dollars guaranteed, Josh McCown is 38 and has played for almost a fourth of the teams in the NFL, Aaron Murray hasn't played a snap in the NFL, Geno Smith has maturity issues and has never thrown more touchdowns than interceptions in a season, Dan Orlovsky lead the Lions to an 0-16 season in 2008 and is 33, and Austin Davis has been barely average. I do, however, like Nick Foles, whose potential was briefly seen in 2013 when he set the then-record for TD: INT ratio as well as Brian Hoyer, who, when he gets into rhythm, can be above average. To add to this, Colin Kaepernick came off of a season where he threw 16 touchdowns and 4 interceptions in 11 starts with extremely poor weapons. He also led a 4th Quarter comeback against the Rams where, with under a minute left, he scored a touchdown and converted a two point conversion. His resumé and big game experience far outweigh the eleven other quarterbacks with a Super Bowl appearance in which he was extremely close to winning as well as narrowly losing to the Seattle Seahawks and the Legion of Boom defense in the Conference Championship the next year. After a slump the next year, Jim Harbaugh, his coach and fervent supporter, was fired and Kaepernick's play began to suffer as the 49ers team feel apart with the departures of Michael Crabtree, Randy Moss, Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, Aldon Smith, Patrick Willis, Carlos Rogers, Tarrell Brown, Donte Whitner, and Dashon Goldson. It can be verified that Colin Kaepernick is better in play than the other quarterbacks signed; that's not even speaking of his mobility. This year, Kaepernick was honored with the Len Eshmont award where he was honored for 'exemplifying the inspirational and courageous play of Len Eshmont, a member of the 1946 49ers team', which is voted by teammates and considered the most prestigious award for a 49ers player. So this begs the question, why is Kaepernick still not signed? Few teams have shown interest and not even desperate ones such as Cleveland or the Jets are willing to take a chance. All signs point to his activism and kneeling for the anthem. In my personal opinion, Kaepernick has shown his ability to play and his political and social beliefs should not impact his work opportunities. It is illegal for corporate companies to discriminate based on political, social, or religious beliefs so why should NFL teams be able to? I hope the best for him and hope a team that can utilize his skill set is able to do so.
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