John Harbaugh Says Teams Aren't Ignoring Colin Kaepernick

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said it was "stupid" and "intellectually lazy" to suggest that NFL teams are refusing to sign Colin Kaepernick or ignoring the quarterback based on his political stances, calling the situation "more nuanced" than that, per NFL.com.

"I absolutely think he's going to get signed," he added, speaking to reporters at the AFC coaches' breakfast during the Annual League Meeting in Phoenix. "I agree with (my brother) Jim (Harbaugh). He can win games for people."

The Kaepernick situation has begun to dominate headlines around the NFL, with the veteran quarterback still unsigned.

Kaepernick took a knee before games while the National Anthem was being played in a protest against police brutality and the treatment of minorities in the United States, and the perception that many teams around the league are punishing Kaepernick for taking a political stance and becoming a potential distraction has emerged.

Not surprisingly, players and coaches around the league have weighed in on the matter.

Joe Thomas of the Cleveland Browns offered his thoughts on the matter: 

"It does not bother me," Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph said of players making political stances, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. "You have to give the players a right to voice their personal concerns. That doesn’t bother me at all. Colin, you would hope he gets evaluated as a quarterback first and then his personal views can be put to the side a little bit."

As for the reason Kaepernick hasn't been signed, Joseph added, "It could be numerous issues as far as he’s a veteran quarterback, his number could be really high, he doesn’t fit a certain offensive philosophy. It could be numerous things.”

However, Kaepernick's asking price being high does not appear to be the issue. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported on Tuesday that Kaepernick hasn't been requesting $9-10 million per year in a new contract as was previously reported, according to a source.

It's hard to imagine Kaepernick couldn't be a valuable option as a backup quarterback for a team, and after dominating headlines for much of the season, it's just as hard to imagine some teams don't view him as a distraction. The longer Kaepernick remains unsigned, the harder it will be for NFL teams to deny that there aren't off-field reasons for the quarterback continuing to be a free agent.