Roger Goodell’s comments should open door for Colin Kaepernick’s overdue return to NFL

Roger Goodell may have opened the door for Colin Kaepernick’s NFL return.

Colin Kaepernick wasn’t offered a single NFL contract after opting out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers. He was blackballed after kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality and systemic oppression of Black People. He was awarded a settlement after taking the NFL to court and was awarded less than $10 million to split.

After NFL commissioner Roger Goodell released a video on Friday night apologizing for failing to listen to NFL players earlier, saying Black Lives Matter and saying he’d protest with them, he basically said, “I’m sorry, Colin Kaepernick.”

“It has been a difficult time for our country. In particular, black people in our country,” Goodell said. “First, my condolences to the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and all the families who have endured police brutality.

“We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people. We, the National Football League admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the National Football League, believe black lives matter. I personally protest with you and want to be part of the much-needed change in this country. Without black players, there would be no National Football League. And the protests around the country are emblematic of the centuries of silence, inequality, and oppression of black players coaches, fans, and staff. We are listening, I am listening, and I will be reaching out to players who have raised their voices and others on how we can improve and go forward for a better and more united NFL family.”

Did Roger Goodell open the door to a Colin Kaepernick return to the NFL?

Kaepernick should have been in the NFL and I hope Goodell’s statement opens the door for his return to the NFL.

He never should have been out of the NFL. His final season saw him throw 16 touchdowns to four interceptions on 59.2 percent passing. His 90.7 quarterback rating wasn’t far off his 91.6 rating he posted when the 49ers went to the Super Bowl three years earlier. His 6.8 yards per carry average was a career-high and was in contention to set a career-high with nearly 700 rushing yards if he played 16 games. Kaepernick was the victim of his surroundings and went 1-10 in 11 starts for Chip Kelly, who was an unmitigated disaster as a head coach and will likely never coach another game in the NFL.

Smart fans know Kaepernick had the talent to be on an NFL roster. Players around the NFL recognized what was going on.

Chicago Bears Pro Bowl defensive lineman Akiem Hicks mocked his own team’s signing of quarterback Mike Glennon earlier this week as an example of teams going out of their way not to sign Kaepernick.

“I think he would have gotten a good deal if he had not protested,” Hicks said. “Does he have all the qualifications that we seem to be looking for in NFL quarterbacks? Athletic. He can get the ball down the field. I think that he fits a lot of those categories. Do I know if he would have gotten a huge deal and gone onto be a Hall of Fame quarterback? I don’t know these things. I just know that when he took a knee, he was silenced — or they attempted to silence him.”

The NFL players know he’s one of the 64 best quarterbacks on the planet. If you want to argue he shouldn’t be a starting quarterback and the time away from the game will not make him a starter, he would be a proven backup with Super Bowl experience.

When backup quarterbacks like Nick Foles, Jacoby Brissett, Andy Dalton, Case Keenum, Chase Daniel, Chad Henne and even Taysom Hill have not only been employed but paid handsomely, it’s indefensible to say they all warrant opportunities before Kaepernick.

NFL teams didn’t want to be the first one to bring in Kaepernick. The Seattle Seahawks wanted to bring in Kaepernick as a backup to Russell Wilson but were afraid of signing him when he said he was going to continue taking a knee during the national anthem.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees said earlier in the week he doesn’t agree with anyone disrespecting the flag. After he was criticized by several of his teammates, past and former NFL players, LeBron James, among countless others, he apologized for completely missing the mark.

There was a time when Kaepernick was the only one taking a knee. Then Eric Reid joined him. Kenny Stills did too. Others followed. They all nearly lost their careers.

When the 2020 NFL season begins, there will be many teams taking a knee in solidarity for the same reason Kaepernick did in 2016. While President Donald Trump doesn’t think Brees should apologize, NFL teams should no longer be afraid of signing Kaepernick.

It’s embarrassing and appalling they were in the first place. Signing Kaepernick would have been the easiest decision a general manager could have made at the toughest position.

He’s a proven talent with dual-threat skills in a league growing more reliant on players like that. He has millions of fans who follow him and would have supported your team, bought his jerseys, attended games, been social media warriors and been a voice to spread good words about what your organization did. It would have made owners so much money. But the NFL didn’t sign him out of cowardice.

Goodell just opened the door for and NFL team to welcome him back to the league saying Black Lives Matter and aligning with the mission Kaepernick brought to the NFL years ago.

The NFL can’t make up for the time Kaepernick lost with his three seasons out of the league, but they can begin to make it right by signing him to a roster before unjustly missing another.