In the aftermath of more than 1,000 people showing up outside 345 Park Avenue for a rally in support of unemployed quarterback Colin Kaepernick, some are arguing that the pressure on the NFL is misplaced. It’s not.
If the league office wanted Kaepernick to be employed, he’d be employed.
Case in point: Three years ago, Peter King reported prior to the first game of the 2014 regular season (Packers at Seahawks) that the NFL called multiple teams in an effort to get one of the teams to sign Michael Sam to its practice squad. The Cowboys eventually did.
With Kaepernick, it would unfold the same way. Phone calls and arm twists and horse trades would eventually result in Kaepernick being employed. Whether it’s offering the team a wink-nod chance to host a Super Bowl or a dispensation from having to give up a home game to London or a 10-year exemption from Hard Knocks or whatever else the league can quietly offer, there are ways the NFL could place Kaepernick on a team, if the NFL really wanted to.
With the application of pressure directly to the league office, maybe the league will decide to. As far as those supporting Kaepernick as concerned, there’s only one way to find out.