49ers columnist slams all the football excuses being given for why Colin Kaepernick remains unsigned

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May 11, 2017 6:32 PM

Tim Kawakami slams the 'disinformation' about Colin Kaepernick and says there is a 'whisper campaign' to keep him from finding an NFL job

On Wednesday it was reported that quarterback Blaine Gabbert has agreed to a contract with the Arizona Cardinals to be a backup.

For Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News, this was the final straw in the debate over whether Colin Kaepernick is being blackballed by NFL teams.

According to Kawakami, who regularly covers the San Francisco 49ers, there is no good reason for Gabbert, who lost his starting job to Kaepernick during the 2016 season, to get an NFL job before Kaepernick.

The football excuses most often cited for a player like Gabbert signing before Kaepernick are that Kaepernick: 1) no longer has the desire to be a football player; 2) is not in football shape; and 3) is making unreasonable demands in free agency, demands that allegedly include a starting job and a salary of at least $10 million.

Kawakami spoke with several sources and says these excuses are all hogwash.

On whether or not football is still a priority for Kaepernick.

Peter King of theMMQB.com recently reported that some in the 49ers front office think "

On whether or not Kaepernick is in footballshape.

Kaepernick lost "a ton" of weight prior to the 2016 season. While some thought this was due to his newfound vegan diet, Fox's Jay Glazer said it was the result of multiple offseason surgeries.

That weight loss severely impacted Kaepernick's play in 2016, and even kept him out of the starting lineup to start the season as head coach Chip Kelly wanted him back closer to his playing weight before making him the starter.

According to Kawakami, Kaepernick has gained all the weight back.

On reports that Kaepernick is making unreasonabledemands.

John Lynch, the new general manager for the 49ers, recently told KNBR (via USA Today) that Kaepernick was "

There is zero evidence that any team has come anywhere close to signing Kaepernick, and a source close to Kaepernick told me yesterday that they have not discussed even general money terms with anybody this offseason. And Kaepernick is not demanding a guaranteed starting role. How could he if he hasn’t had a single serious conversation with a team?

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