The NFL is littered with quarterbacks who can barely complete half their passes, and yet Colin Kaepernick isn’t wanted by most fans in a small survey.
I posed a simple question on Twitter earlier this week.
Would you rather have Colin Kaepernick or your current starting quarterback for the rest of this season?
The answers can quickly and swiftly, with a large group saying that, no, Kaepernick has no place on their team. There was no mention of his politics or policies, although it’s impossible to discount that as a factor, considering the NFL is obviously blackballing the former Pro Bowler.
All told, the tweet had 48 responses with 48 hours. In full disclosure, many of the responses were from Kansas City Chiefs fans, due to my history of covering the team on Chiefs-specific sites. Still, there were other fandoms checking in, ranging from the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears to the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints.
There were a few votes for Kaepernick, most notably a frustrated Broncos fan willing to see Case Keenum hit the pine in favor of the former University of Nevada star.
So what does it all mean?
For starters, we’re talking a small sample size and a disproportionate amount of Chiefs fans, who of course prefer Patrick Mahomes. However, we’re also seeing a tiny amount of support for Kaepernick, in addition to a lack of vitriol towards his kneeling during the national anthem.
There’s an old saying that if people love you or hate you, you’re alright just the same. When people are indifferent towards you, it’s over. Fans appear indifferent toward Kaepernick at this juncture, likely because he hasn’t suited up for an NFL game since the conclusion of the 2016 season.
It’s almost impossible to argue that Kaepernick would to improve the Buffalo Bills or Jacksonville Jaguars (two fanbases that didn’t respond). Jacksonville is especially intriguing because it doesn’t have a young, developing quarterback but rather a broken Blake Bortles and a backup — at best — in Cody Kessler.
Still, it’s hard to find fans clamoring for Kaepernick to come and save their season, whether from a standings or entertainment standpoint.