Colin Kaepernick continues to remain unsigned this off-season, which comes as a shock to some. It’s also not a shock to others given the controversy that surrounded him a year ago.
That controversy was apparently enough to keep the New York Giants away from considering adding the veteran quarterback.
In a recent interview, Giants co-owner John Mara said that he received a lot of fan outrage surrounding Kaepernick. Part of the outrage was that fans would boycott the Giants and not attend games if Kaepernick, or any other player, protested the way he did.
Many have wondered about where Kaepernick could sign this off-season now that he’s departed from the San Francisco 49ers. The team that makes the most sense is the Seattle Seahawks, who have an interest in him. But the Giants, who before the 2017 NFL Draft, were looking for a possible successor for Eli Manning.
Then the Giants drafted Davis Webb in the third round of the draft and that plan went into place. Had the Giants signed Kaepernick, the pick of Webb doesn’t take place. But with Webb, the Giants didn’t have a need to sign Colin Kaepernick as a backup.
Given the controversy surrounding Kaepernick, the Giants were wise to pass. Kaepernick would have added a lot of unneeded distractions given the New York spotlight and media. Having Kaepernick in the New York area would be a public relations nightmare for the Giants. It’s something the team doesn’t need and avoided. But that’s beside the point.
The Giants were ultimately smart to pass on Colin Kaepernick due to football reasoning.
Over the last couple of seasons, Kaepernick had started to regress. He had been benched several times in San Francisco due to poor play. In 2016, Kaepernick went 1-10 as a starter with the 49ers; a record that didn’t help his case to stay put. The 1-10 record didn’t help his cause to get signed by any other team in the NFL.
After the season, Kaepernick did mention that he would stop protesting the national anthem before games. Despite the tactic, teams still have steered clear. The New York Jets chose to sign Josh McCown over him. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Ryan Fitzpatrick after a disastrous 2016 season. Teams are picking lower quality players over him. The Giants themselves did as well when they signed Geno Smith coming off ACL surgery.
Some NFL players feel like the NFL is blackballing Kaepernick. Eventually, Colin Kaepernick is likely to land somewhere in the league because quarterbacks with his talent are few and far between. But the baggage is why teams are passing.
The Giants were smart to pass on signing Colin Kaepernick. For both the public relation and football reasons. He might still be successful elsewhere in the NFL. But the Giants couldn’t afford the risk and they’re better off not chancing it.
Colin Kaepernick black balled himself with America. Way to go idiot.
Colin Kaepernick black balled himself with America. Way to go idiot, you only have yourself to blame.