Seahawks’ Doug Baldwin doesn’t think Colin Kaepernick’s anthem protest is the reason he remains unsigned

RENTON – The way Doug Baldwin sees it, Colin Kaepernick’s curious inability to find work so far this offseason isn’t really that curious. He thinks it has less to do with fallout from the quarterback’s national anthem protest last season than it does one of the basic truths in the NFL:

Younger is better because it’s cheaper.

“I think it’s simple. Again, it’s the business of the NFL,” Baldwin said following the Seahawks’ Organized Team Activity practice on Tuesday. “Right now, you have a lot of young guys who are looking for opportunities. The organizations, they’re going to be giving the younger quarterbacks, the younger guys the first and second look. They know what Colin can do. They know that he’s a starter in this league, so they’re going to give every opportunity for the young guys to compete and show their talents, and then whatever falls, then he’ll get an opportunity once all this dust settles.”

Henderson: Notes, observations from Seahawks OTA Tuesday

It appeared as though the Seahawks represented Kaepernick’s best opportunity to land on an NFL roster as the only team known to have shown any legitimate interest in him this offseason. Kaepernick made a free-agent visit to Seattle two weeks ago along with Austin Davis as the Seahawks explored options to bolster their backup quarterback situation behind Russell Wilson. But he left without a contract, and even before the Seahawks signed Davis on Monday, the chances of them signing Kaepernick were already seeming remote.

Davis, wearing No. 6, took part in his second OTA practice with Seattle on Tuesday. He replaces – for now, at least – Skyline High School product Jake Heaps as the second quarterback competing for the backup spot along with incumbent Trevone Boykin. Not surprisingly, the deal Seattle gave Davis is reportedly for one year and $775,000, which is the minimum for a player of his tenure (four to six seasons). According to the NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, it also includes a $50,000 signing bonus and a $30,000 roster bonus if he makes the team.

“He’s a great kid,” Baldwin said of Davis, 28. “I haven’t been able to spend too much time with him, but we’ll see how he does.”

The Seahawks’ decision to go with a journeyman in Davis over the much more accomplished quarterback in Kaepernick – who’s only a year and a half older – has done nothing to quell what is becoming a harder-to-refute belief that politics are the primary reason why a recent starting quarterback can’t even find a job as a backup.

Baldwin, though, said he believes Kaepernick’s social activism and his refusal to stand for the national anthem last season in protest of racial inequality (something he said he won’t continue in 2017) has only played a small role.

Here was Doug Baldwin on why he thinks Colin Kaepernick remains unsigned. pic.twitter.com/GQlPgyfm1R

— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) June 7, 2017

“Yeah, I can’t say that it didn’t completely or that it doesn’t completely. I think, yeah, to some degree, but I think that’s really minor,” Baldwin said. “There’s 32 teams out there; not all of them really care about that. I have no doubt in my mind that he’s going to have a job here rather quickly.”

Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner said he’s surprised it hasn’t happened already.

“I really don’t know why he doesn’t have a job,” Wagner said. “Whenever I become a GM or an owner of a team, I’ll give you guys a different answer. I don’t know why. He’s definitely a great player and should have a job.”

Wagner knows Kaepernick’s game as well as any Seahawk. He played against him in the Mountain West conference in college before entering the NFL the same year Kaepernick became a starter in San Francisco.

Is Kaepernick still a starter?

“Depends on what team he goes on,” Wagner said. “If he comes to this team, obviously we’ve got our starter. So I wouldn’t be able to answer that question. But it depends on what situation he goes into, what team. I definitely feel like he has the ability to start, but that’s not really my choice to have.”