A few months ago, Nike invited controversy. The brand featured former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick in a new campaign with the slogan “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” This ad campaign comes a couple of years after Kaep had been out of the NFL, presumably for kneeling for the National Anthem to raise awareness for racial injustices. Kaepernick became a free agent after the 2016 season, and has yet to receive an offer from any team.

However, he definitely should be on a roster, looking at the quarterbacks in the league at the time. Nathan Peterman, a QB with a career 1:4 touchdown to interception ratio, has started more games than Kaep, which is just absurd. Frankly, Kaep is not that good, but he is definitely better than Peterman.

For comparison, through eight total games eclipsing two seasons, Peterman has 12 interceptions. Kaep had 11 through three total seasons. Eric Reid, former teammate of Kaep, free agent this past offseason, was the first player to take a knee with him. He became a one year after Kaep, and was unsigned up until week 5 of this year, signing with the Carolina Panthers. In his first game with the Panthers, Reid continued to kneel, to the praise of Kaep.

As of now, week 13, he has yet to be signed to a team, or even offered a contract, which is astounding considering the small pool of available free agent quarterbacks. Even Mark Sanchez is currently on an NFL roster with the Washington Redskins. This is a Washington roster that has recently lost two quarterbacks in three weeks and was interested in Kaep. However, they went with the “safe” option of not signing him and “going in a different direction.”

Well, as “safe” as a team with an offensive mascot name can be. Keep in mind that the Redskins also signed Reuben Foster, who was released from the 49ers after his second domestic violence arrest. And yet, they still will not sign a player who kneels as a means of protest against racial injustices.