John Elway Tells TMZ Colin Kaepernick Is Not Being 'Blackballed' by NFL

Colin Kaepernick has yet to find a new team this offseason, but Denver Broncos general manager John Elway doesn't believe the quarterback is being blackballed by the NFL. 

Elway offered these comments about Kaepernick to TMZ Sports:

Discussion of the NFL's lack of interest in Kaepernick sprung up when Spike Lee posted a picture with the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback on Instagram, adding it was "fishy" he hadn't been signed yet.

That came after B/R's Mike Freeman quoted one AFC general manager as saying teams don't want to deal with the backlash from Kaepernick's decision to kneel for the national anthem last year. The GM also speculated that "around 20 percent" of his peers in the league also had questions over Kaepernick's ability to be an effective quarterback:

"Second, some teams fear the backlash from fans after getting him," the GM said. "They think there might be protests or [President Donald] Trump will tweet about the team. I'd say that number is around 10 percent. Then there's another 10 percent that has a mix of those feelings [on Kaepernick's protests and playing ability].

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman offered these comments when asked if he thought Kaepernick was being avoided by NFL teams, per ESPN's Sheil Kapadia:

"

I'm sure he is. It's difficult to see because he's played at such a high level, and you see guys, quarterbacks, who have never played at a high level being signed by teams. So it's difficult to understand. Obviously he's going to be in a backup role at this point. But you see quarterbacks, there was a year Matt Schaub had a pretty rough year and got signed the next year. So it has nothing to do with football. You can see that. They signed guys who have had off years before.

"

The list of free-agent quarterbacks who have signed with teams includes Mike Glennon, Brian Hoyer, Geno Smith, Mark Sanchez and Josh McCown. 

On March 3, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Kaepernick will stand for the national anthem next season if he is picked up by a team.  

It is more than three months until teams open training camp, so Kaepernick doesn't need to be signed right now. However, it is unusual for a player who once started a Super Bowl to be looking for work compared to the other players who have signed, and the reasons seem likely to remain unclear until that changes.