NFL History: 30 players fans loved to loathe: 10. Colin Kaepernick
People forget in an instant sometimes. Long before guys Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Kyler Murray were causing opponents headaches and appearing in the dreams of opposing fan bases, Colin Kaepernick was impossible to beat. He had a cannon for an arm, was ridiculously accurate and although he wasn’t exactly a burner, once he tucked the ball underneath his arm, defenders would eat his dust.
Kaepernick quickly became public enemy number one whenever his San Francisco 49ers came strolling into town. After taking his squad to the Super Bowl in 2013, fans were preparing for the Kaepernick era. That, of course, never happened as Kaepernick changed the course of his career.
After taking a knee in protest of the police brutality that has plagued much of this country, Kaepernick attempted to bring more awareness to it. The former Pro Bowler essentially ended his career once he began kneeling during the national anthem. Seemingly every day, Kaepernick’s continued protest was talked about. Once Kaepernick opted out of his contract with the 49ers, he was toast.
Despite his obvious talent, not a single team was interested in signing him. Fans all around the NFL world said good riddance to Kaepernick as they believed he was disrespecting the flag by kneeling down as opposed to standing up. While there’s still time for him to return to the league, considering the number of years that have passed by, it doesn’t appear likely that he’ll ever be making a comeback. Something that brings a smile to fans’ faces, unfortunately.