Madden 22 ratings: Colin Kaepernick rated higher than 17 starting QBs despite being frozen out since 2016

The Colin Kaepernick saga just saw another turn.

Madden 22 has included the former NFL quarterback as a free agent with a rating higher than over half of the starting quarterbacks in the league. Naturally, this development has given rise to a discussion surrounding how this decision came about.

Colin Kaepernick in Madden 22: What it means

Colin Kaepernick is rated as an 81-overall quarterback despite not playing in the NFL since 2016. A rating of 81 is not an easy one to obtain. By rating a player in the 80s, Madden is essentially saying that it is expensive to find a better player.

However, players rated in the 80s are of starter quality. Essentially, they are solutions to positional problems.

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By rating Colin Kaepernick as high as 81, EA Sports is saying he is a starting-quality quarterback and should have a job in the league today. His addition as an 81 overall means that competitive franchises in franchise mode will snag him before the first game.

If he's a sought-after athlete on Madden, why are NFL teams reluctant to test the waters?

EA is seemingly calling out the NFL for blackballing Colin Kaepernick and ostricizing him from the league. Kaepernick was famous for starting the kneeling movement during the national anthem, drawing outrage from across the country. It brought politics to the game at a level never seen before, bringing national attention from non-sports spheres.

Kaepernick's actions were aimed at a number of issues, mostly focusing on police brutality.

Colin Kaepernick's career in the NFL

Kaepernick helped the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl at the end of the 2012 season. In seven starts during the regular season, he went 5-2 and threw for ten touchdowns and three interceptions. The team ultimately lost the Super Bowl to the Baltimore Ravens and started to decline after that loss.

Although Kaepernick had a better regular season the following year, going 12-4 and throwing for 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions, the team did not make it as far in the playoffs. They lost in the conference championship and started to fall apart at the seams after.

Kaepernick went 8-8 in 2014, 2-6 in 2015, and 1-10 in 2016. Those opposing the stance that Kaepernick should have a job in the NFL point at these stats as evidence he isn't up to speed. However, his final season saw him throw for 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. This has courted surprise from several quarters. At the very least, many believe Kaepernick should be in the NFL as a solid backup quarterback.

EA laying down a marker

An 81 overall rating is a little generous for a player who threw 16 touchdowns and four interceptions in his final season five years ago. However, the point with Kaepernick is not about accuracy. The idea is to use the game as a megaphone to call out the NFL for refusing to give Kaepernick a job.

Colin Kaepernick kneeling at Los Angeles Rams v San Francisco 49ers

The continued resistance by EA risks biting the hand that feeds them, as their ability to make simulation NFL games depends on the unwavering support of the league.

If the NFL were to pull its support, EA would have to essentially stop making Madden games, which would destroy their profit margins.

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