Colin Kaepernick reportedly still isn’t getting any calls from NFL teams looking to add another quarterback to their roster. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported on Monday that the quarterback’s people have received no real inquiries into his availability, despite claims earlier in the summer that several organizations were going to be reaching out.
Florio wrote that Labor day is the unofficial end of summer, and many people consider Memorial Day to begin the season. The start of this period was also when George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police.
After Floyd’s death, a spate of social justice demonstrations broke out all over the country. The movement reached professional sports, including the NFL. Commissioner Roger Goodell put out a video apologizing for not listening to Kaepernick when he was kneeling during the National Anthem back in 2016. Analysts around the league said the apology likely meant the former 49er was on the verge of getting his job back. There was even talk of him joining a team like the Kansas City Chiefs as a “ perfect fit .”
Despite those reports, Florio says Kaepernick’s phone has been quiet.
He added at one point there was even a story that said several franchises had reached out to Kaepernick’s friends and associates. Supposedly, once the two sides got to the point where a contract was really in the works, they would contact his agent.
The writer said Kaep’s agent was never contacted with an official offer. He noted that either talks between the two sides never progressed or those reports were all lies.
The Pro Football Talk reporter pointed to the case of Josh McCown as further proof that Kaepernick wasn’t getting any real interest.
McCown recently signed with the Philadelphia Eagles to be on their practice squad. The 41-year-old veteran will earn $12,000 a week to stay away from the rest of the roster. He’s protection for the Eagles in case the other signal-callers on the team come down with COVID-19.
Naysayers are reportedly already saying McCown’s situation is one that Kaepernick wouldn’t want to take part in anyway.
Florio said that isn’t an excuse. He wrote that organizations have been claiming that one of the reasons they won’t make Kaepernick an offer is because they know he won’t take it. Teams claim he only wants a starting job and won’t waste his time and effort being a backup.
The writer said it’s time for some NFL team to call that bluff and ask Kaepernick directly if he’s willing to take a “no-show” deal just to be on a roster. So far, it appears no one has taken that step.