“The minute you do, 30% or so of your fanbase loses their minds” - NFL insider thinks owners are scared of backlash that could come with signing Colin Kaepernick

Colin Kaepernick is on the comeback trail once again. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback has been out of the NFL since 2017, but continues to post workout videos saying he is ready.

One would think that signing him makes sense. However, that would ignore the obvious fact that no team has touched him ever since he started the movement of kneeling during the National Anthem. He was let go by the 49ers following the 2016 season and has never had a real shot to return since.

NFL insider Mike Florio discussed this recently with fellow analyst Rich Eisen on the latter's show. He made it clear that owners fear the likely backlash from a large portion of the fanbase.

"I don’t think anyone wants to even flirt publicly with Colin Kaepernick, because the minute you do, 30% or so of your fanbase loses their minds. And that's why he never got signed in the first place. And again, that's wrong. It was wrong for them to collectively shun him, and he ultimately got between five and $10 million from the league for colluding to keep him out. Even though he never did anything to violate any rules. And it makes people mad, but he never did anything to violate a single rule in the NFL."

Florio is not even talking about just signing the quarterback. He says that a team even looking into the him could lead to massive backlash from fans. That is why he ended up winning money as damages for collusion.

NFL owners are scared to sign Colin Kaepernick

Colin Kaepernick NFL Workout

Florio continues on to say that NFL owners are all collectively too scared to step up and sign the signal-caller.

"None of these owners will stand up and do the quote-unquote right thing because they know it's going to cost them money and it's going to create them headaches."

The key point Florio mentions is that signing the quarterback could cost the league money. As soon as that comes into play, the conversation stops.

An insider like Florio saying that NFL owners are still too scared to sign Kaepernick may prove the quarterback has no shot of a return. He is already 34 years old, and time may be running out if an owner doesn't give him a shot this season.

This is biggger than football and shows the power the league has in keeping someone out even if they are talented enough to play and help a team win.

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