More than a week of free agency, in a league that struggles to find enough competent quarterbacks for each team, Kaepernick remains unsigned with no buzz about where he might go next. Of course, it’s easy to make the connection between the lack of interest and Kaepernick’s national anthem protest last season. Movie director Spike Lee made that connection in an Instagram post after having brunch with Kaepernick in New York, saying it “Smells MAD Fishy To Me, Stinks To The High Heavens.” Maybe fishy isn’t the right term, because it’s easy to figure out what’s happening.
Just because Kaepernick hasn’t signed yet, after he opted out of his 49ers contract, doesn’t mean he won’t find a good opportunity. However, it will get harder as free agency goes on and spots get filled by other quarterbacks. Even though Kaepernick has said he won’t protest during the anthem anymore, the NFL is a conservative league and it’s clear his protest didn’t go over well with everyone, particularly among owners. Bleacher Report quoted an unnamed general manager who estimated that 70 percent of league executives “genuinely hate” Kaepernick after his protest.
