The world of misinformation strikes again. Today the New York Jets were tied to a situation that ended up trending nationwide. A Twitter account called SportsCenter with the real username being @SuperToughScene posted a tweet today stating, “JUST IN: The New York Jets have signed free agent QB Colin Kaepernick to a 1 year / $9 million contract.â€
They even credited Adam Schefter on the story and used the old NFL graphic for new signings that featured the old Jets logo. The story then got picked up by a few local media outlets nationwide and ended up gaining significant traction. I then received multiple texts of people asking, “Woah, the Jets signed Kaepernickâ€. I then had to fact check this and within seconds I had my answer. So, to set the record straight, Colin Kaepernick is NOT a New York Jet and is still a free agent.
Where Is Kaepernick?
Colin Kaepernick was at a low point in his career following the 2014 & 2015 seasons. The 49ers went through a drastic change in their front office and coaching staff and Kaepernick was coming off 3 surgeries. They were beginning a season with their third coach in three seasons. Kaepernick became blacklisted after kneeling for the Star-Spangled Banner.
Since that moment Kaepernick has been one of the most controversial football players in the modern era. Kaepernick lost his job after Kyle Shanahan took over the team following the 2016 season. Kaepernick then ended up being released and he has remained a free agent since then.
His controversial actions, legal battles with the NFL, and tryout went wrong have made him an unattractive QB for most teams. Although some people think he’s still the Kaepernick they saw play in the Super Bowl in 2012, he’s now 32 and was heading downhill when released.
The fact is, political beliefs aside, the Jets would not make this move from a football standpoint. Nor would any team. Kaepernick would want A LOT of money when at best, he’d be a camp body competing for a backup job. His asking price won’t come down and teams around the league don’t want to pay him an immense amount of money to sit on the bench and draw boatloads of media coverage that could divide their fan base.