Colin Kaepernick Will Stand for the National Anthem Next Season

He modified his protest for the last preseason game and regular season by taking a knee during pre-game performances of the Star Spangled Banner.

Colin Kaepernick will stand during the National Anthem next season, sources told ESPN on Thursday.

Adam Schefter, ESPN NFL analyst, however, has a report saying that Kaepernick now believes he has made his point and doesn’t feel the need to continue to do so in the future. “It needs to change”, Kaepernick said.

Kaepernick’s protest became a trend across the NFL, with several other players also choosing to silently protest during the national anthem. If Kaepernick himself is looking to latch on with another team in free agency, being divisive isn’t necessarily the way to do it.

Later on, Kaepernick began kneeling during the anthems after meeting with former Green Beret Nate Boyer, who said kneeling would be a more respectful approach to the military. Many other National Football League players followed Kaepernick’s lead and refused to stand, as did other athletes in the NBA and elsewhere, but the quarterback received some stinging criticism from fellow players, coaches, and figures outside sports.

Days later, a photo emerged of Kaepernick at practice last August wearing socks depicting pigs with police hats.

The 29-year-old would have earned over $14 million dollars had he elected to remain with San Francisco in 2017.

For Colin Kaepernick, it’s mission accomplished. Kaepernick completed 59.2 percent of his passes for 2,241 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Jackson, who loved Kaepernick coming out of the draft in 2011, wanted to acquire him last off-season, but the 49ers retained him.