PHOENIX — Quarterbacks such as Brian Hoyer, Nick Foles, Landry Jones, Matt Barkley and the one and only Mark Sanchez signed new contacts this offseason.
Meanwhile, Colin Kaepernick sits unsigned and unemployed, not many years after helping the 49ers make it to the Super Bowl.
Sure, Kaepernick most recently has been a fairly terrible player, but why is it that other mediocre quarterbacks have found new homes in free agency and Kaepernick remains on the market? It is certainly fair to speculate his refusal to stand for “The Star Spangled Banner’’ before games last season is scaring off teams, though Kaepernick said he will stand for the national anthem this coming season.
Brandon Marshall, the new Giants receiver, defended commissioner Roger Goodell against the suggestion Kaepernick is being blackballed by the league.
Brandon MarshallAP“No, and the reason why is I was one of those players on the other end of the spectrum,’’ Marshall said Monday at the NFL Annual Meeting, where the six-time Pro Bowler was selected to speak with the league owners. “I was a player that probably was on my way out of the NFL. I was a troubled kid. I had things going on that I was aware of and I needed time to be able to fix that, and he embraced me, he brought me in, he talked to me like he was a coach. He told me what was expected of me and how I needed to protect the shield, and he also gave me the resources I needed to get the help I needed.
“And he’s always listened to me — or at least picked up the phone. So I think any player if they wanted to get to the commissioner and talk to him, he would be open to it. He’s just that type of guy. Obviously it’s a business and he has to do what’s best for the NFL, but at the end of the day I truly do believe he does care about the players.’’
Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman wonders why Kaepernick has not been signed. Asked if he believes Kaepernick – who has not received a single known offer – is being blackballed, Sherman told ESPN: “I’m sure he is. It’s difficult to see because he’s played at such a high level, and you see guys, quarterbacks, who have never played at a high level being signed by teams. So it’s difficult to understand.”
Marshall does not see it that way.
“What I know is we’re supposed to be this family, and in family we don’t always get along, we don’t always agree with each other,’’ Marshall said. “It’s a business. There are things the commissioner does that I don’t like. There are things he says I don’t like. But at the end of the day I know he has a job to do, and as long as he’s open-minded to hear what the players feel and what we want, then I’m OK with that.
“But sometimes people have a hard time understanding that it’s a business. We’re so emotional, football people in general, not just players, we’re so emotional because it’s our game, sometimes we forget when we sit at the table that we’re really doing business.’’
