Does Colin Kaepernick Have a Future in Canada?

Seemingly blacklisted by the NFL, quarterback could have a future up north.

Colin Kaepernick
Former Quarterback Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers walks off the field after the game against the Seattle Seahawks. (Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
Getty Images

Since March, Colin Kaepernick has been the most famous unemployed American in the history of sports, and it’s all because of that knee of his. It’s not a worker’s comp situation; that knee—which is now at the center of a nationwide debate about social injustice, protesting, and patriotism— has arguably kept him off of National Football League rosters that could use an arm (and legs) like his.

Kaepernick has largely stayed out of the media’s watchful eye, laying low as he seemingly plots his next move. And as Bleacher Report argues, that could equal a jump to colder climes of Canada.

As the Montreal Gazette reported at the end of last month, the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League reached out to Kaepernick. But in a follow-up report in the National Post, Alouettes general manager Kavis Reed said, “There’s been no conversation about Colin coming here. It was just to let them know we had his rights and if there was anything they were interested in to get back to us.”

Bleacher Report also gauged some Canadian fan and CFL player interest, and got a really positive response. But one fan warned that there would also be detractors, and the media frenzy would not come close to dying down. (We tend to agree with that assessment.)

Kaepernick joining a CFL team is not all that crazy an idea; NFL stars such as Warren Moon and Cameron Wake have gotten starts there. There is, of course, the compensation issue, though; the average CFL player makes about $80,000 Canadian versus $1.9 million American for NFL players.

Win the Ultimate Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix Experience

Want the F1 experience of a lifetime? Here’s your chance to win tickets to see Turn 18 Grandstand, one of Ultimate Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix’s most premier grandstands!