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Former San Francisco 49ers's quarterback Colin Kaepernick changed the NFL landscape forever when he decided to take a knee in protest against police brutality and racial injustice back in 2016.
His actions caused everyone involved in the NFL and the wider community to look at what was going on at the time. The quarterback's actions were not met kindly with some fans. They thought he should still stand for the national anthem.
In what was a bit of a twist in the quarterback's career in 2017, the 49ers decided not to renew his contract in a move that many saw as backlash for the unwanted attention that his kneeling brought to the organization.
The quarterback then filed a grievance against the NFL as he thought the league's 32 teams colluded not to sign him. The 34-year-old later settled with the NFL in 2019, and the grievance was dropped.
Kaepernick remains unsigned
Having not been sighted in the league since 2016, many think Kaepernick was "blackballed" by the NFL. He has enough talent to, at least, be a back-up quarterback with just about all 32 teams. Yet no one wanted to go near him.
The 34-year-old did not even receive any offers to try out for a team as the general consensus was that teams did not want to sign him as it was going to be too distracting for the team.
With Kaepernick on the sidelines with no resemblance at a chance at getting back into the NFL, fans and media alike used their platforms to back Kaepernick's attempts at getting back into the league. It did not work.
The whole situation made fans look at the NFL and its team's differently as it was not handled in the best way.
With many back-up quarterbacks seen as less than when compared to Kaepernick, many did not understand why the former 49ers star was not being signed by teams. He would have given teams a better chance at winning, whether that be as a back-up or as a starter.
Kaepernick got his shot with Las Vegas
After staying in shape and working out with ex and current NFL players, all the 34-year-old wanted was a shot. It didn't have to amount to anything. He just wanted a chance to prove that he could still be valuable in the league.
He got his shot when the Raiders offered him a chance to workout. Depending on who you ask, the workout either went well or not so well. The Raiders did not offer him a contract. Thus, his dream of returning to the NFL was halted, perhaps forever.
Kaepernick changed the NFL landscape
The 34-year-old has certainly made people think more about how the league is run.
With the quarterback deemed to be so much better than 90% of active back-up quarterbacks, why is he still unsigned?
We will likely never know the true answer to that, but the fact that the 34-year-old essentially lost his job for something he believed in so much, tells you all you need to know about the person he is.
It was and still is a cause close to his heart, with many other NFL players still currently choosing to kneel during the anthem.
Will he ever make it back into the NFL?
As many have said, if he hasn't by now, he likely never will. It is a sad thought that the quarterback was standing up for what he believed in and, any way you look at it, was outed from the league.
