Multiple NFL teams — like Houston, Green Bay, and Arizona — needed new quarterbacks this season after injuries knocked their stars off the lineup. T.J. Yates, Joe Callahan, and Matt Barkley were the quarterbacks signed to plug those holes. But why wasn’t Colin Kaepernick one of the quarterbacks signed? Kaepernick parted ways with the San Francisco 49ers in March, after launching the controversial national anthem protests. Since he left the 49ers, 62 other quarterbacks have been signed to NFL teams, and that number is upped to 84 when you include quarterbacks signed off practice squads. Only two of those players have posted a higher quarterback rating in 2017 than Kaepernick’s 2016 rating. Kaepernick says there is a dark reason for him not getting signed. In October, he filed a grievance against the league and all 32 teams alleging that they colluded against him getting signed. After Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone, Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy referenced the time Brett Hundley and Joe Callahan have spent with the organization and said the “quarterback room is exactly where it needs to be.” Arizona coach Bruce Arians had a similar response after they lost Carson Palmer, saying that they weren’t looking for another quarterback. Houston coach Bill O’Brien said the team discussed signing him said that they thought about signing Kaepernick but he “hasn’t played football in a while.”
Thanks for reading InsideHook. Sign up for our daily newsletter and be in the know.
