In a poll conducted by The Athletic over the past six weeks, 95% of defensive players interviewed said they believe Colin Kaepernick should be on an NFL roster.
They polled 85 defensive players from different NFL teams and 95% said that they feel like he should be on an NFL roster while a couple of anonymous players just said "no comment."
They were also asked to name an NFL quarterback who is on a roster today who Colin Kaepernick should replace. Jacksonville Jaguars QB Blake Bortles was the top choice at 20 percent, and former Buffalo Bills starting quarterback Nathan Peterman who is now with the Oakland Raiders was second with 18 percent of the vote.
Other quarterbacks that came up in the pool included Eli Manning of the New York Giants and Jameis Winston of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A player said he would replace "25 percent of the league" with Kaepernick.
Kaepernick, who was the first player to kneel during the national anthem as a means of protesting police brutality and racial inequality, last played in the NFL during the 2016 season. He filed a grievance against NFL owners in Oct. 2017.
Photo: Getty Images