# You're owner/GM: Would you sign Colin Kaepernick to your NFL team? If so, how long, for how much? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 12, 2019, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-owner-gm-would-you-sign-colin-kaepernick-to-your-nfl-team-if-so-how-long-for-how-much/841672 "2019-10-12T06:09:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-owner-gm-would-you-sign-colin-kaepernick-to-your-nfl-team-if-so-how-long-for-how-much/841672/1 "2019-10-12T06:09:51Z")
Say you become owner and/or GM of your favorite NFL team right this moment. All the team’s resources are at your disposal, but you have to keep all salary-cap and PR implications in mind. Colin Kaepernick is available for signing ([which he has reiterated, again, in a press release just days ago](https://deadline.com/2019/10/colin-kaepernick-press-release-on-nfl-snub-1202757671/).) [ul] [li]Do you offer him a starting QB job, a backup QB spot, or no offer at all?[/li][li]If yes, how many years?[/li][li]How much pay?[/li][li]What incentives and/or conditions would you build into his contract?[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-owner-gm-would-you-sign-colin-kaepernick-to-your-nfl-team-if-so-how-long-for-how-much/841672/2 "2019-10-12T06:16:18Z")
I don’t know enough about American football, but keeping aside the controversy, is Kaepernick on _pure merits_ worth taking? Is there any (besides the obvious) non playing issue, likesome charcter concerns, substance abuse claims? Or is he injury prone? In soccer it would be very strange for a playmaker who led a team to the Champions League final to not be able to find any team, even allowing for a much greater scope for employment, unless there were some non playing issues. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-owner-gm-would-you-sign-colin-kaepernick-to-your-nfl-team-if-so-how-long-for-how-much/841672/3 "2019-10-12T06:42:33Z")
Kaepernick lost his job to Blaine Gabbert. Blaine Gabbert. That happened **before** the sideline controversies, it wasn’t a result of them. He was a really good QB at one time, one of the best running QBs ever (though not a great passer), but he was in a decline since 2015. Part of it was coaching issues since Harbaugh left, part of it was a shoulder injury, but I’m sure part of it was just him. I have the feeling he peaked early and I doubt he could ever be as good as he was in 2013-2014. I wouldn’t build a team around him. And at this point I doubt football is a priority in his life anymore. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-owner-gm-would-you-sign-colin-kaepernick-to-your-nfl-team-if-so-how-long-for-how-much/841672/4 "2019-10-12T07:33:37Z")
Does US Sports management have a history of racism? I thought they were pretty egalitarian, taking black athletes when segregation was still the norm? Kaepernick in other sports would have all the marking of a retrospective special “decrying the racism he faced” event about 30 years from now. Long after it could have been addressed. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-owner-gm-would-you-sign-colin-kaepernick-to-your-nfl-team-if-so-how-long-for-how-much/841672/5 "2019-10-12T11:08:48Z")
In an unforeseen event like the surprise retirement of Andrew Luck, I would have been okay with taking a flyer and inviting him to training camp. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-owner-gm-would-you-sign-colin-kaepernick-to-your-nfl-team-if-so-how-long-for-how-much/841672/6 "2019-10-12T12:53:58Z")
The team needs a waterboy right? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-owner-gm-would-you-sign-colin-kaepernick-to-your-nfl-team-if-so-how-long-for-how-much/841672/7 "2019-10-12T16:27:01Z")
No. First of all, he’s been out of football too long now. Second, just like Tebow, no one wants a circus around. The only reason your backup QB should be giving a press conference is because he just rescued some kids from a burning building. The anthem kneeling isn’t news anymore and I’m sure the NFL likes that. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-owner-gm-would-you-sign-colin-kaepernick-to-your-nfl-team-if-so-how-long-for-how-much/841672/8 "2019-10-12T16:32:16Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Does US Sports management have a history of racism? I thought they were pretty egalitarian, taking black athletes when segregation was still the norm? > Kaepernick in other sports would have all the marking of a retrospective special “decrying the racism he faced” event about 30 years from now. Long after it could have been addressed. But it’s not about race, no team wants a player that draws that much attention. Tim Tebow was the same way with his bible verses painted on and his overt religiousness. NFL football used to be the time when everyone could come together, regardless of political and economic differences. I used to watch with a guy who was a very blue collar mechanic and I’m sure he voted the exact opposite of me, but for a few hours we’d drink beer and yell at the screen. Not over Obama or Bush or McCain, but over the missed block or a bad fumble. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-owner-gm-would-you-sign-colin-kaepernick-to-your-nfl-team-if-so-how-long-for-how-much/841672/9 "2019-10-12T16:44:47Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > But it’s not about race, no team wants a player that draws that much attention. Tim Tebow was the same way with his bible verses painted on and his overt religiousness. If either of them had Tom Brady’s skill, they’d still be employed. Kaepernick might have flourished with a better coach/team, but he was a questionable starter or a great #2. Tebow was not going to cut it as NFL QB. And **dalej42** nailed it. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-owner-gm-would-you-sign-colin-kaepernick-to-your-nfl-team-if-so-how-long-for-how-much/841672/10 "2019-10-12T18:23:42Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Does US Sports management have a history of racism? I incline toward the notion that an owner/GM who says “I’d like to hire a QB who doesn’t feel the need to inject his politics into a Sunday afternoon sporting event” is not necessarily a racist. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-owner-gm-would-you-sign-colin-kaepernick-to-your-nfl-team-if-so-how-long-for-how-much/841672/11 "2019-10-12T19:31:08Z")
But the NFL had no problem with Tebow’s particular form of drama, and in fact welcomed it. Tebow was dropped because it turned out that he just wasn’t a very good player. If Kaepernick was only of second-string quality, well, that explains why he didn’t have a starting position. But there are as many second-string QBs in the NFL as first-stringers, plus I imagine many teams have a third or more. Why wasn’t Kaepernick one of them? ---
**Author:** ![Kimble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimble/32/19185_2.png) [@Kimble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimble)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-owner-gm-would-you-sign-colin-kaepernick-to-your-nfl-team-if-so-how-long-for-how-much/841672/12 "2019-10-12T19:40:25Z")
Titans in 2018: Yes, as a backup to Marcus Mariota for like $5M/1 year. In place of the “superior” Blaine Gabbert. Titans in 2019: No, because Ryan Tannehill is better and cheaper. If either Mariota or Tannehill were out for the year, then sure. If they were out for a few games, Logan Woodside would be fine. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-owner-gm-would-you-sign-colin-kaepernick-to-your-nfl-team-if-so-how-long-for-how-much/841672/13 "2019-10-12T19:41:05Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > No. First of all, he’s been out of football too long now. Second, just like Tebow, no one wants a circus around. The only reason your backup QB should be giving a press conference is because he just rescued some kids from a burning building. The anthem kneeling isn’t news anymore and I’m sure the NFL likes that. How much of the decision is based on how many people will suddenly decide not to attend home games - or renew season tickets - if they do sign him? Sure, there may be a number of people who decide to buy tickets just because a team signs him, but I have a feeling far more would go from yes to no, than from no to yes. Remember, professional football is a business. There is a reason the teams’ owners are called that. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-owner-gm-would-you-sign-colin-kaepernick-to-your-nfl-team-if-so-how-long-for-how-much/841672/14 "2019-10-12T20:04:30Z")
I wonder if he’d be interested in the XFL? He’d probably be one of the best QBs available to that league and his notoriety, good or bad, gets the league on people’s radar. If he looks good torching inferior defenses (remember he doesn’t even need good receivers, he made a career with his legs) then he might draw interest from the NFL. But I don’t think he’ll do it. I think for him, he needs to be signed by an NFL team and be paid a lot. I don’t think he feels the need to “prove himself” and would be insulted by the suggestion. That attitude as much as anything will keep him out of the league. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-owner-gm-would-you-sign-colin-kaepernick-to-your-nfl-team-if-so-how-long-for-how-much/841672/15 "2019-10-12T20:12:50Z")
After a bit of research… Colin reportedly wanted $20M to play for either the XFL or AAF. So we won’t see him in the XFL. > **[Colin Kaepernick reportedly wanted $20 million to play for XFL](https://www.nbcsports.com/video/colin-kaepernick-reportedly-wanted-20-million-play-xfl)** > > Colin Kaepernick is one of the many big names the XFL is attempting to recruit, and he reportedly asked for $20 million for his salary. That’s probably why he’s not in the NFL either. He wants not only starter money, but good starter money. He wants more than anyone would pay him. Seattle seemed interested in him but they basically said he wasn’t willing to be paid like a backup (not in so many words but it’s not hard to translate). This is why he won’t be suiting up any time soon. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-owner-gm-would-you-sign-colin-kaepernick-to-your-nfl-team-if-so-how-long-for-how-much/841672/16 "2019-10-12T20:25:52Z")
I wouldn’t want to hire him because he’s not that good of a quarterback. But I’d do it anyway to stick it to the rest of those assholes. ETA: XFL is still possible. Vince McMahon pays guys like Brock Lesnar absurd amounts of money to draw an audience for wrestling. He needs an audience for the XFL even more. I don’t know if Colin can get $20 million, but he could get into the millions if he was interested. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2019, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-owner-gm-would-you-sign-colin-kaepernick-to-your-nfl-team-if-so-how-long-for-how-much/841672/17 "2019-10-13T02:39:59Z")
The XFL is not intending to pay money even close to what Colin is asking for. > **[XFL reportedly reveals average player salary to agents](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/10/12/report-xfl-reveals-average-player-salary-agents/)** > > Predictably, the average XFL salary will be far less than the NFL minimum. > **[XFL quarterbacks will make 10 times the salary of their teammates](https://sports.yahoo.com/xfl-quarterbacks-will-make-10-times-the-salary-of-the-rest-of-their-teammates-193242705.html)** > > Are quarterbacks really that much more valuable than other players? So a QB isn’t going to be making even 5% of what Colin was asking for. The XFL doesn’t want to fail like the AAF and is being conservative with their pay. A starting player on a great team may make more than $50K for the year. They do want to attract QBs so they’re paying them 10 times that amount, but that’s still about a half a million, maybe a bit more. Again, Colin wants $20 million. That’s not a gap you’re going to cross. If Kaepernick wants to play football he needs to lower his expectations a lot. Again, I go back to what I said before… Despite what his agents claim I don’t think he really wants to play football that badly. Otherwise he’d be asking for no more than a quarter of what he has been asking for. This way he can continue the claim that he’s being blackballed, which is hard to prove or disprove as long as he’s not making reasonable salary requests.