With the NFL preseason less than a month away, Colin Kaepernick still hasn’t found his way onto an NFL roster.
Whether that’s a major concern to him is a bit up in the air, but the former 49ers quarterback’s current situation has already drawn plenty of commentary from sports fans and media, a season after his national anthem protests and social activism drew attention across the country.
Some of the most recent remarks have come from other former San Francisco quarterbacks.
Speaking to KNBR’s Murph & Mac at the American Century Championship celebrity golf event in South Lake Tahoe, Steve Young weighed in that he was “surprised” Kaepernick remains unsigned, Niners Nation reported Friday afternoon.
“Colin, I’d have to sit down with him, look him in the eye, see what he really wants to do, see how much work he has in him,” Young told the KNBR hosts. “Because if he wants to work — the guy can play.”
Young talked about the hiring of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch before the hosts asked for his input on Kaepernick.
“I’m surprised, even with the situation last year with the kneel-down during the national anthem, that people can’t see through that and see, like here’s a good player that wants to play and not toxic in the locker room … But he’s gotta fit too,” Young said on the air.
Hall of Famer and 49ers legend Joe Montana was also asked about Kaepernick this week – and Montana sounded less surprised at the situation.
Talking to Sporting News, Montana said Kaepernick could land on a roster if an injury opens a spot somewhere. But he also compared the 29-year-old’s play to that of Tim Tebow.
“Everyone thinks it is the stance he took; one of the things you don’t look for is distractions in the locker room. You can go back to Bill Walsh and as soon as there were guys that weren’t fitting in what he was looking for, it didn’t matter how good you were. You weren’t on the team for very long,” Montana told Sporting News.
Montana said he believes Kaepernick’s national anthem protest played a role in his situation, and called the 49ers’ roster changes “necessary.”
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