Colin Kaepernick is still without a job, but his jersey continues to be one of the NFL’s top sellers
Colin Kaepernick hasn’t been on an NFL roster for more than three months, yet his jersey continues to be one of the league’s top sellers.
Kaepernick, who opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers in March and has yet to land a job with another team, had the 17th bestselling jersey in May, according to NFL.com.
His jersey ranks eighth in sales among quarterbacks, placing higher than Atlanta’s Matt Ryan, Seattle’s Russell Wilson, Carolina’s Cam Newton and New Orleans’ Drew Brees, as well as the many others at the position who didn’t even make the Top 25 list (including the four quarterbacks currently on the 49ers roster).
Kaepernick, a former Super Bowl quarterback, started the final 11 games last season for San Francisco. He put up some good numbers, throwing for 16 touchdowns with four interceptions, but led the team to only one victory.
Some have suggested teams may be avoiding Kaepernick because of his refusal to stand for the national anthem before games last season as a social protest. At one point last fall, Kaepernick’s jersey ranked as high as No. 5 in league sales.
The quarterbacks who sold more jerseys than Kaepernick last month were New England’s Tom Brady (No. 2 overall), Dallas’ Dak Prescott (No. 3), Houston rookie Deshaun Watson (No. 5), Oakland’s Derek Carr (No. 6), Philadelphia’s Carson Wentz (No. 8), Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers (No. 12) and Detroit’s Matthew Stafford (No. 13).
After returning from retirement and switching from the Seahawks to the Raiders, running back Marshawn Lynch grabbed the No. 1 spot. Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott rounded out the top five at No. 4.
Twitter: @chewkiii
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