It’s been three and a half years since Colin Kaepernick has played in the NFL. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback last suited up in the 2016 season, ending his six-year career.

Despite attempts to get back into the league, Kaepernick has remained unsigned. The quarterback became one of the most polarizing athletes in American sports history when he decided to protest police brutality during the national anthem before each game.

“For many owners it always came back to the same thing. Signing Kaepernick, they thought, was bad for business,” Joe Lockhart, who was the NFL’s executive vice president in charge of communications from 2016-2018, wrote for cnn.com. “An executive from one team that considered signing Kaepernick told me the team projected losing 20% of their season ticket holders if they did. That was a business risk no team was willing to take, whether the owner was a Trump supporter or a bleeding-heart liberal (yes, those do exist). As bad of an image problem it presented for the league and the game, no owner was willing to put the business at risk over this issue.”

Kaepernick entered the league in 2011 as a second-round draft pick of the 49ers. He only attempted five passes in his rookie season, backing up Alex Smith as San Francisco reached the NFC Championship Game.

An injury to Smith at the midway point of the 2012 season allowed Kaepernick to replace the veteran. Kaepernick quickly became one of the NFL’s most electric players, throwing for 1,814 yards and 10 touchdowns to go along with 415 rushing yards and five scores on the ground in the second half of the year. He went 5-2 as a starter and posted a 98.3 passer rating.

In his first postseason game, Kaepernick set a playoff record with 181 rushing yards for a quarterback in a 45-31 victory over the Green Bay Packers. He led the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII, where San Francisco was narrowly defeated by the Baltimore Ravens 34-31. Kaepernick had 798 passing yards, 264 rushing yards, seven total touchdowns and a 100.9 passer rating in three playoff games.

The 49ers went 12-4 in Kaepernick’s first full season as their starting quarterback. Kaepernick completed 58.4% of his passes for 3,197 yards, 21 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 91.6 passer rating. He added 524 yards and four scores on the ground.

San Francisco made its third straight NFC Championship Game appearance, losing to the Seattle Seahawks. Kaepernick had 576 passing yards and just a 74.0 passer rating in three postseason games.

That was the final time Kaepernick led the 49ers to the playoffs.

Kaepernick’s passer rating dipped to 86.4 in 2014, though he set career-highs with 3,369 passing yards and 639 rushing yards. Kaepernick had 19 passing yards, 10 interceptions and an 8-8 record.

The 2015 season was undoubtedly Kaepernick’s worst. He wenty 2-6 in eight starts and eventually saw his year end because of a shoulder injury. The quarterback threw for 1,615 yards, six touchdowns, five interceptions and a 78.5 passer rating.

In his final NFL season, Kaepernick put up better stats, but it didn’t result in more victories. He threw for 2,241 yards, 16 touchdowns, four interceptions and a 90.7 passer rating. Kaepernick lost 10 of his 11 starts as San Francisco finished with the worst record in the NFC.

Only a handful of quarterbacks have been better at taking care of the football. Kaepernick’s 1.77% interception rate is good for fourth in NFL history, behind only Dak Prescott, Carson Wentz and Aaron Rodgers.

Kaepernick has an 88.9 passer rating in 69 games and 58 starts. He completed 59.8% of his passes for 12,271 yards, 72 touchdowns and 30 interceptions for 7.3 yards per attempt. Kaepernick rushed for 2,300 yards in his career.

Kaepernick went 28-30 as a starter. He was never selected to a Pro Bowl.

Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick's kneeling protest of racial injustice became a US controversy
Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick's kneeling protest of racial injustice became a US controversy GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Carmen Mandato
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