Colin Kaepernick still doesn’t have a job with an NFL team, but his saga is far from over.
Multiple reports Thursday alleged the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback hadn’t heard from any teams since the NFL free agency period began in March, meaning the claims that Kaepernick was asking for a $10 million salary didn’t necessarily have merit. But Kaepernick’s mentor Harry Edwards cleared the air with USA TODAY Sports on Thursday, telling Jarrett Bell he’s heard from three teams.
“They’ve asked, ‘Can he play? Does he want to play?’” Edwards said. “The last question I can’t answer. The first question, absolutely. If Kaep makes up his mind, he wouldn’t only go in and make a team, he’d put pressure on somebody to start.”
Edwards didn’t elaborate on whether the teams asked for any information beyond that, but he did offer his opinion on why he believes Kaepernick still hasn’t received an offer. Edwards believes it’s at least partly because of the 29-year-old’s national anthem protest.
“I don’t think there’s any question that there are some owners who wouldn’t have him in the league, much less on their team,” Edwards said. “But I fully expect one (team to sign him), because it’s in the best interest of the league to have him on a team.
“You can’t have a league that’s approaching 80 percent black, and then say if you stand up and say anything relevant to these issues — especially in the age of (Donald) Trump — this is what happens to you. You can’t do that. You can’t just up and write off black protests as if this were 1950.”
Kaepernick started 11 games in 2016 after spending all of 2015 and the beginning of last season as a backup. He threw for 2,241 yards, 16 touchdowns, just four interceptions and had a 90.7 quarterback rating, his highest since 2013.
Thumbnail photo via Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports Images
