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When the Indianapolis Colts, in desperate need of a viable quarterback, reached deep into their emergency contact list to sign Philip Rivers, it was surprising because he was retired and hadn’t played since 2020.
And you know what has been just as surprising in the wake of this move? None of those noted complained that Colin Kaepernick was not an option.
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No Kaepernick complaint at all
Colin Kaepernick looks fine during a private NFL practice held at Charles R Drew high school on November 16, 2019 in Riverdale, Georgia. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Kaepernick didn’t get to work out with the Colts, wasn’t contacted, wasn’t even considered, even though the Colts reached out to other quarterbacks.
And what followed that Kaepernick omission was, well, nothing.
There has been no backlash. No notable complaints about Kaepernick being blackballed. No racism charges after Indianapolis signs 44-year-old white guy over 38-year-old black guy.
There hasn’t been so much as a mention in NFL media and pundit circles of another Kaepernick snub — not even from Kaepernick lead attorney Mike Florio.
So why is this noteworthy?
It deserves attention because it could signal the end of an era. Finally! It signals that we may be past the days when people accused every NFL team of being racist when they didn’t sign Kaepernick to fill a quarterback need.
Colin Kaepernick arrives at a practice for NFL football scouts and media in Riverdale, Georgia on November 16, 2019. (AP Photo/Todd Kirkland, File)
Colin Kaepernick Memory fades
It signals an understanding that teams don’t care about fan or media complaints nearly as much as Kaepernick’s complications.
It signals that people are finally understanding accusations of racism from people with some political leanings against the 75 percent black NFL ring pit.
So yes, it’s a big deal.
BRONCOS’ PRACTICE SQUAD QUARTERBACK REFUSES HE TURNED DOWN OPPORTUNITY TO RETURN TO COLTS
That matters because the worshipers who portrayed Kaepernick as some kind of hero when he said, “I will not stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black and people of color,” once forgot what a hypocrite he was the very day of his first protest.
But now they may have just forgotten about him.
Tons of QB moves with no complaint
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers (17) on the sideline during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on Dec. 6, 2020. (Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports)
Rivers isn’t the first quarterback this year to come out of nowhere and be signed to a practice squad deal ahead of Kaepernick. We’ve had a number of mostly undrafted quarterbacks sign practice squad contracts this offseason.
Shane Buechele with the Bills.
Brady Cook with the Jets.
Bailey Zappe with the Browns.
Seth Henigan with the Jaguars before working out for the Colts on Tuesday, as did Rivers.
More? Well-traveled Trevor Siemian with the Titans, Chris Oladokun with the Chiefs, Cam Miller with the Raiders.
The Colts also added Brett Rypien
There are close to a dozen more such quarterbacks working out on NFL practice squads. And some of these guys were cut and replaced. Some even got hold of other teams.
Brett Rypien started with the Bengals, then was promoted to the active roster, then released, then signed to the Colts’ practice squad, then promoted to Indy’s active roster on Wednesday.
But amid all these movements, no Kaepernick
And no one complains about it.
Activists in 2017 would not recognize this peace.
The end has come for Kaepernick
None of these other guys have reached the ceiling Kaepernick once did when he started for a Super Bowl team. But their potential is much higher than the floor Kaepernick fell to at the end of his NFL career.
Notice what I did there? “At the end of his NFL career” was not written by mistake.
That end actually came after the 2016 season.
It’s just that it took almost a decade for everyone to accept it and seemingly move on.
