San Francisco 49ers Not Ruling Out Colin Kaepernick Return
Quarterback Colin Kaepernick has rendered himself persona non grata thanks to his refusal to stand for the national anthem last season, but apparently, the door is still open for a return to San Francisco.
In an interview with radio station KNBR, 49ers general manager John Lynch said he hasn't ruled out a potential reunion with Kaepernick. However, the chances of him re-signing with the team have "gone down significantly."
"Here we are with two quarterbacks, but like we said, we're gonna look at every option. The likelihood of that happening has probably gone down significantly, but we're not going to close our mind or our options on anyone, including him," Lynch said during the interview.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Lynch also revealed that Kaepernick was close to signing with another team, but a deal failed to materialize.
Look, Kaepernick is a talented quarterback and he's probably one of the best still available on the free agency market, but why are teams avoiding him? Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman managed to reach out to an American Football Conference (AFC) general manager to ask him this question.
According to the unidentified general manager, some teams just don't think he could play anymore, and some were afraid of the backlash if they signed him. Apparently, a lot of executives just don't want him on their team because they hate him for what he did last season.
"They want nothing to do with him. They won't move on. They think showing no interest is a form of punishment. I think some teams also want to use Kaepernick as a cautionary tale to stop other players in the future from doing what he did," the general manager said during the interview with Bleacher Report.
Well, that explains why quarterback-needy teams aren't even giving him a look. But make no mistake about it, the 29-year-old Kaepernick can still play and desperate teams can use a quarterback of his caliber. Kaepernick has already said he won't be taking a knee during the national anthem next season, so teams should probably give him a chance.
