By John Sarianides

Controversial free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick has had a hard time finding a team that is interested in signing him this off-season.

In a league that only has a handful of elite quarterbacks and a handful of good quarterbacks, Kaepernick can’t seem to find a team that is willing to give him a chance to quarterback their franchise.

Contrary to public perception, it is not just because he sat out the anthem all of last season. There are other reasons he hasn’t signed yet as well. 

In case you haven’t noticed. Kaepernick has not been the same since Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman left San Francisco. They were the biggest reasons for Kaepernick’s success. They found a way to capitalize on his skill set and put him in a position to make plays. No other coaches have been able to do that in San Francisco since. 

It doesn’t help Kaepernick that defensive  coordinators around the league have caught up to the veer option scheme that was prevalent in the NFL between 2010-2014. Once they started stopping Kaepernick the runner, it was easy to defend Kaepernick the passer.

Injuries have also derailed Kaepernick’s career. The arm strength and velocity he displayed in 2011 and 2012 are gone thanks to shoulder and rotator cuff issues. Kaepernick just can’t sling it all over the yard like he used to.

Inconsistency has also dogged Kaepernick throughout his career. Last season was a prime example of this. There were weeks where his passer rating was in the 60’s and there were other weeks, especially down the stretch where his passer rating was hovering around 100. Teams cannot invest in a player who runs as hot and cold as Kaepernick does.

The fact that Kaepernick is not a very good teammate doesn’t help his free agency case either. He didn’t exactly endear himself to teammates last season and it was obvious when only a handful of his teammates participated with him in sitting out the anthem. 

All of these reasons are tangible reasons to stay away from a player like Kaepernick but the elephant in the room is still sitting out the anthem. 

Owners around the league were bothered by the fact that Kaepernick chose to sit out the anthem last season. He became a distraction and made it about himself and not the team.

Despite the fact that Kaepernick has said he will stand for the anthem in 2017, owners don’t want the distraction that comes with having him on the roster. 

If I were an NFL general manager and my organization needed a starting quarterback, I would look elsewhere before I signed Kaepernick. He is not good enough to deal with the media circus that would congregate around the team facility everyday asking him non football related questions. 

Do I think he can land a job somewhere next season? Sure. There are not enough good quarterbacks in the league so some team will sign him.

I wouldn’t touch him. He is not worth investing in. I want a guy who can play quarterback. Not part time Social Justice Warrior.