NFL training camps start in late July, and Colin Kaepernick is still a free agent. But it looks like teams are still refusing to sign him over his national anthem protests.
That was made all the more obvious when Dan Orlovsky was signed as a backup quarterback by the Los Angeles Rams. You might remember him for helping lead the 2008 Detroit Lions to a winless season.
Orlovsky's career quarterback rating is 75, and he only has two more touchdown passes than interceptions. If you're not familiar with NFL stats, just know that's not good.
Kaepernick has thrown 72 touchdowns compared to 30 picks, his QB rating is close to 90, and he led the San Francisco 49ers to Super Bowl 47.
Even former quarterback Michael Vick, who spent 21 months in prison for running a dog-fighting ring, said Kaepernick had an image problem, but ultimately his play is the reason he's out of the league.
"I don't think he should represent himself in that way, in terms of just the hairstyle. Just go clean cut. … I think primarily the reason why he's not signed to a team is because of the last two seasons and not being as productive," Vick said on Fox Sports 1's "Speak For Yourself."
Vick did apologize for criticizing Kaepernick's hairstyle.
Vick said Kaepernick's play kept him out, but the numbers don't really reflect that. Among 30 qualified starters in 2016, he had the 17th-best quarterback rating.
That's certainly nothing spectacular, but he was ahead of established starters like Eli Manning, Joe Flacco and Cam Newton. And it's tough to think that many backups on NFL rosters instead of Kaepernick would be better.
