Colin Kaepernick, the professional gridiron quarterback for whom the San Francisco 49ers ran Alex Smith out of town, may have played his last down last season, as no one has signed, let alone offered, the veteran free-agent a contract.
There are more than a few that think Kaepernick’s controversial National Anthem protests last season are the reason for his being ignored, even by teams desperate for a quality quarterback.
The truth of the matter would seem to be that Kaerpernick no longer has what it takes to play gridiron at the top level. His past two seasons have been dismal, and that is being kind.
In the NFL, pretty much any sort of behaviour will be tolerated so long as on-field production is adequate.
Kaepernick deserves praise, not abuse, for his efforts to start a productive conversation on race relations in the U.S., and anywhere in the world for that matter. If he had tossed 20 – 30 touchdowns last season and used his prodigious running ability to shred NFL defenses as he has in the past, there would be a line 20-deep and three abreast to sign him.
NFL quarterbacks are disposable commodities. There are only 32 starting jobs in the league and Kaepernick is hardly the only quarterback who lacks a job for next season.
Alex Smith, by the way, is still plugging along quite productively for the Kansas City Chiefs.
