Colin Kaepernick has not played for the NFL since the 2016 season, his peaceful anthem protest was the quarterback’s downfall. Now NFL boss Roger Goodell has spoken out in favour of an NFL team signing Kaepernick.

Colin Kaepernick is still without a job.

The quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers protested peacefully against police violence and racism by going down on his knee during the national anthem. This made him an icon of resistance, but the protest was not well received by team owners and NFL team officials.

The 32-year-old was fired by the San Francisco 49ers after the 2016 season and has been a free agent ever since. Although there are definitely worse quarterbacks under contract in the NFL.

Goodell encourages NFL teams
But now Kaepernick received support from the highest authorities. NFL boss Roger Goodell spoke out in favor of a team signing the quarterback.

“If he wants to continue his career in the NFL, it obviously needs a team for that,” Goodell told “ESPN”: “I would welcome that, and support and encourage teams in this decision.”

In light of the worldwide protests sparked by the violent death of African-American George Floyd, Kaepernick’s fate also came more into focus. If the quarterback who led the 49ers into the Super Bowl in the 2012 season does not find a new team, Goodell would like to see him in a different position in the NFL.

“If he’s not on the field but wants to continue working in this environment, we’d like to welcome him to help us, to guide us, to make better decisions, with all the things that need to be done in our community,” Goodell said. “We’ve invited him before and we want to make sure everyone is welcome to help us deal with some very complex issues that have been around for a long time.

So now it’s up to the NFL teams and Colin Kaepernick himself to take the next step.