Recently, Colin Kaepernick – the NFL Quarterback infamous for kneeling during the National Anthem in preseason of 2016 – held a private workout for interested NFL scouts. These scouts from several different teams attended to see if Kaep’s talent can outweigh the potential outburst in publicity and controversy he would bring to an organization, if they were to sign him.
It is crucial to note that Kaepernick turned down the workout the NFL organized for him at the Falcons’ facility, as he wanted his own workout under his own planning at a local Georgia High School.
To the surprise of many scouts and the public, Kaepernick showed that he is still extremely capable of performing at the NFL level. It was clear that he still has the skill and mindset necessary to make an impact in the league (see video below):
After the workout, Kaepernick gathered around everyone that attended and said, “I’ve been ready for three years. I’ve been denied for three years” (CBS Sports). He surely expected to get at least one call from an NFL team saying they had interest.
Though, to his surprise (but not to the public), he has not received a single call since.
However, someone else at Kaepernick’s workout shockingly did receive an NFL workout, and that was from the Cleveland Browns. This person is Jordan Veasy. He was one of the receivers helping out at the workout.
Veasy did not get signed by the Browns, however the Washington Redskins later signed him to their practice squad. He was an undrafted free agent that went to California, and he was signed by the Tennessee Titans – but later released.
Though, the most important detail is that this “no-name” receiver got an offer well before Kaepernick, who is obviously still on the street. This receiver just caught a few passes and wasn’t the primary focus during the workout, yet he is now on an NFL team over Kaepernick; a player who possesses much more talent whether you agree with his political views and decisions, or not.
There are many facts that can be now derived from this significant signing of an irrelevant player, over Kaepernick:
First of all, it shows the amount of trust NFL executives have in Kaep, which is close to none. He is almost entirely concerned about his personal gain and political motives rather than helping a football team in dire need of a quarterback, which is something executives don’t want to deal with.
Kaep had the opportunity of a lifetime, which was a workout out organized by the NFL that would set him up for success in the league. Instead, he decided to host his own workout and run the show, rather than attend the NFL workout. He clearly just wants the extra attention and was trying to pull a large publicity stunt. It can also show he isn’t as serious at getting back in the league as we all thought; his motive was to make the NFL look bad, once again.
While it can be argued that it is fair for Colin to have zero trust in the NFL, considering they’ve effectively made an effort to keep him, and his added political views out of the NFL because of the distractions they carry; it was a consensus in the end that Kaepernick only hurt his chances of making a comeback with this workout.
In the end, it can be determined that executives around the league believe Kaepernick’s attitude, and off the field motives outweigh his talent and what he can bring to the table on the field for an NFL franchise that may need him for a handful of starts, at most.
(P/C: skystatement)
