Drew Rosenhaus: 'Really Important' for NFL to Give Colin Kaepernick a Chance - Bleacher Report

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Given the protests happening around the United States and the world calling for an end to systemic racism and police brutality, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has once again become a major talking point.

And agent Drew Rosenhaus believes it's important the NFL gives Kaepernick another shot and a team signs him this offseason, as he told Christian Red of NBC News: 

"I think (Kaepernick) should get signed. I think he will get signed. It's really important for the NFL to give him a chance. That would be great for the league at this juncture. I think it would reflect very well on everything that Kaepernick has stood up for over the last several years. He was really ahead of his time with a lot of the things he was saying. If you play many of his interviews years ago, they're spot on today."

Kaepernick took a knee during the playing of the national anthem before NFL games in the 2016 season, a protest of police brutality and racial injustice. But when some people claimed the act was disrespectful to the American flag and military, a national debate was ignited. 

That only intensified when Kaepernick went unsigned following the 2016 campaign (and has remained unsigned to this day), leading many of his supporters to conclude that the NFL blackballed him for his political beliefs. 

And when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell responded to the demands of several players that the league acknowledge the Black Lives Matter movement and acknowledge that it silenced black voices like Kaepernick's in the past, Goodell was criticized for not apologizing to Kaepernick directly:

Saquon Barkley @saquon

✊🏾 https://t.co/ltJwmjVVMW

NFL @NFL

We, the NFL, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of Black People. We, the NFL, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter. #InspireChange https://t.co/ENWQP8A0sv

CNN @CNN

“While I am just as stunned to see the commissioner apologize, the person who really deserves an apology is Colin Kaepernick, because the league left him hanging out to dry” -@jemelehill on Roger Goodell saying the NFL was wrong for not listening to players earlier about racism https://t.co/lPko0ZTCun

Adam Best @adamcbest

Roger Goodell's apology won’t be worth a damn until he makes sure that Colin Kaepernick is on an NFL team’s roster. Actions speak louder than words.

First Take @FirstTake

"I find it crazy that Roger Goodell could put out this BS apology and not even mention our brother's name." —Spike Lee on Colin Kaepernick https://t.co/ozYAGIb9d5

Kaepernick, 32, hasn't played in the past three seasons. There are valid questions to be asked about how he might perform after such a long layoff. But as Rosenhaus noted, there's no way to know until he's given a shot:

"Sign him. Bring him to training camp and give him a chance to compete like everybody else. He deserves that. If he is not good enough on the football field—we'll never know unless he gets a chance. He certainly was forced into retirement in his prime. He's still young enough in my opinion, even with the time off, that he can still be a very solid player in this league. People should rally around him in the NFL, embrace him right now. One of the 32 teams really needs to step up."

Kaepernick in his prime was a very good player, leading the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII. In his final season he threw for 2,241 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions in 12 games, completing 59.2 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 468 yards and two scores. 

There's little doubt that Kaepernick had enough talent to be in the league between the 2017 and '19 seasons, even as a backup quarterback. Plenty of far less capable players were given chances. Whether an NFL team is finally willing to give him a shot will remain a major storyline this offseason. 

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