Colin Kaepernick and Jay Cutler Proving NFL Truth About Perception

January 1, 2017; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) warms up before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

By rights there is no earthly reason on that planet that Colin Kaepernick and Jay Cutler should be unemployed at mid-March of the offseason.

One is a man who hasn’t even hit 30-years old yet. He’s one of the most athletic quarterbacks in the league and took a team to the Super Bowl in his career. Despite playing with some terrible receiving corps he’s thrown for 72 touchdowns and just 30 interceptions. He’s also rushed for 2,300 yards and 13 scores in his career.

The other is a proven veteran. A tough-as-nails competitor who has one of the best arms in football. He’s won 68 games in his career and went to a Pro Bowl. Despite having little to no stability up front or on the coaching staff he managed to pull off a number of comeback wins. So again. How can it be justified that Kaepernick and Cutler remain unemployed?

The answer is simple. As Steve Young put it a few years back, “Perception is reality.” If a player is perceived to be something, then that is the truth in the minds of people Kaepernick and Cutler may be talented, but they’re also widely viewed as major distractions.

Amazing how NFL teams will punish Kaepernick for standing up for what he believes in but gladly allow rapists and abusers on their teams. https://t.co/tNHke79keJ
— Alexis Isabel (@lexi4prez) March 17, 2017

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The fact is both of those men didn’t conform to the corporate image that the NFL tries so hard to project. They want every quarterback to fit a certain standard in terms of their personalities and rail against those that refuse to toe the line. It was true of Jim McMahon in the 1980s, Jeff George in the 1990s, and these two now. All were immensely talented men but had personalities and public personas that were deemed distracting.

It’s hard to find work when one has such tags attached. Even if it might be wrong. Kaepernick didn’t do anything illegal or hurt anybody. He made a political statement that the media helped blow out of proportion. Cutler? He’s an introverted personality playing a position that demands more attention than any in professional sports.

Nobody is saying they’re perfect, but how many times do they have to prove they can play and beat NFL defenses? The thing about distractions is they tend to go away after awhile. People get bored. That’s how this modern, digital world works. Instead proven players like this go unsigned because a few people don’t like their public images.

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