Colin Kaepernick remains unsigned, and that has been the biggest storyline of the NFL offseason. It's unclear if any team will take a chance on signing him, but one former general manager said he would sign him under a few conditions.
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Jeff Diamond was the senior vice president and general manager of the Minnesota Vikings and president of the Tennessee Titans. In a column for Sporting News, he wrote that he wouldn't sign Kap as a starting QB unless he had no other proven quarterbacks on the roster, but he thinks he would be one of the best backups in the league.
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First, Diamond said Kaepernick would need to be supportive of the starter and ready to compete, and he would need to accept coaching. He also said Kaepernick would need to be OK with signing a one-year deal with incentives.
More importantly, Diamond wrote that Kaepernick simply needs to avoid controversy. He should stand for the national anthem, and he would have to promise not to say anything regarding the police or any political issues. He could still support causes financially, but he couldn't say anything publicly.
"The reason: It doesn't help him or the team to bring on controversy, and it alienates many fans, sponsors and some teammates," Diamond said. "Right or wrong, that matters to NFL execs who are judged by their team owners on who they sign and how those players reflect on the team."
Diamond said other players in the league—namely Greg Hardy, Adrian Peterson, Tyreek Hill and Joe Mixon—have all done worse things off the field than Kaepernick yet they still have jobs.
If Kap is willing to play for the right price and adheres to those rules, Diamond thinks a team will sign him. Otherwise, he could be out of football in 2017.
(h/t Sporting News)
