It’s Labor Day, the unofficial end of a summer that began unofficially on Memorial Day. On Memorial Day, George Floyd was murdered.
In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, a sense emerged that Colin Kaepernick was right all along, and that the process of moving forward would necessarily entail putting Kaepernick back in the NFL. The momentum was palpable, at least for a little while.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, there was some “fake” interest expressed immediately after Floyd’s death, seemingly out of guilt. There has been zero interest expressed as to Kaepernick “in months.”
At one point along the way, NFL Media reported that teams had contacted “friends and associates” of Kaepernick, and that they would be contacting his agent when they “get to the point where they’re confident enough that they think they can work out a contract.” So either they never got to the point of confidence that they can work out a contract, or it was all just more bullshit.
The news that the Eagles will pay 41-year-old quarterback Josh McCown $12,000 per week for what amounts to a no-show, quarantine quarterback job underscores the widespread lack of interest in Kaepernick. Although the Eagles have made that arrangement with McCown because he’s familiar with the offense from spending 2019 with the team, more than a few of the other 31 teams could justify offering Kaepernick a similar emergency position based on the team’s offense and his skill set.
The naysayers already are saying that Kaepernick doesn’t want $12,000 per week to stay in shape (as he is) and to be ready to play (as he is) in the event of a rash of COVID-19 cases in the quarterback room. So why not call his bluff? Why not offer him a similar no-show arrangement on the practice squad of the Bills or Patriots (given the offense they’ll be running with Cam Newton) or the Ravens or the Steelers or the Texans (he’d be the perfect replacement for Deshaun Watson) or the Chiefs or the Chargers or the Cowboys (now that would be an effective anthem compromise) or the Cardinals or the Seahawks?
For more than three years, teams have hidden behind “he wouldn’t want anything other than a starting job” to excuse not offering him anything other than a starting job. Meanwhile, for more than three years, no one has bothered to even ask.
With each passing day, week, and month that teams avoid offering Kaepernick a job, it becomes easier to continue not offering him a job. Come January 1, Kaepernick will be four years removed from his last time on a football field. By then, all other narratives and excuses can take a back seat to: “He hasn’t been on a football field in four years, and counting.”