Colin Kaepernick has put his nearly $3 million Bay Area home up for sale, and the 49ers want you to know that has nothing to do with his future with San Francisco.
Kaepernick said through a team spokesman that the decision to sell his home is “an investment decision.” The 49ers invested in Kaepernick with a contract that kept the anthem-protesting quarterback on their roster until 2020, but in October the 49ers and Kaepernick decided to scrap that deal in favor of a new contract which gave the quarterback only one more year yet also gave Kaepernick the ability to void that year and become a free agent if he chooses.
If Kaepernick planned on remaining in San Francisco, why would he sell his home?
As Pro Football Talk puts it, “Kaepernick has been playing well enough lately that he may have a better free agent market in the offseason than anyone would have suggested a few weeks ago. So it won’t be surprising if Kaepernick opts out of his contract and tests free agency.”
That seems a bit generous, since Kaepernick currently ranks 24th among all NFL quarterbacks in passer rating, which even falls behind the winless Cleveland Browns rookie QB Cody Kessler. Has Kaepernick played at a level slightly above terrible over the last couple weeks? Sure.
Has he played well enough to sell the house and go on a free agency tour de force? Might want to pump the brakes on that one. Though, more to the point, who would actually want to invest in Colin Kaepernick at this point? Calling Kaepernick inconsistent would be an understatement at this point, and that’s just looking at his on-the-field baggage.
Considering that Kaepernick currently runs a close second to the Kim Jong Un Administration in terms of political toxicity, only a few select cities will likely tolerate his protesting act. One would think Seattle, maybe Minnesota, perhaps either of the New York teams.
After the hostile reception Kaepernick received last weekend, subtract Miami from that list. Though watching Kaepernick’s forced apology to the Cuban community for wearing a Castro t-shirt would be must0see TV.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter: @themightygwinn