With the NFL draft about to happen in the next couple of weeks, and all teams fully engaged in settling their rosters for this coming season and beyond, the Colin Kaepernick question is still hanging in the air.

Earlier this week, it looked like the Seattle Seahawks were starting to get interested in Kaepernick. The team is in need of a backup quarterback, after a particularly ugly domestic violence allegation got the last one released from the team. But that practice workout was canceled, and people are now wondering if it all stems back to Kaepernick’s anthem protest and his ongoing lawsuit against the NFL.

The #Seahawks did postpone a tentatively scheduled workout with Colin Kaepernick, as @AdamSchefter reported. It was not because he said he declined to stop kneeling, tho. The team asked for his plan moving forward on how to handle everything and there was not a firm plan.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 12, 2018

#Seahawks brass, John Schneider and Pete Carroll, want Colin Kaepernick to consider how he wants to proceed on everything (not just anthem) and get together at a later date when his plans are formed. Clearly, Seattle has accepted players speaking out for what they believe.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 12, 2018

On Colin Kaepernick and #Seahawks: From a team perspective, they wanted to hear Kaepernick’s plan going forward, including but not limited to kneeling. There is also the lawsuit, for instance… From those close to Kaepernick, they maintain it was only, Will you keep kneeling?

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 12, 2018

The Seahawks just today have signed a different backup QB, and Kaepernick has made it clear in the past that he considers himself starting position worthy. So, what is really going on here?

Well, as far as the Seahawks are concerned, yes, they have been a team that has allowed their players to pursue social justice causes (and given the fan base, have been wildly applauded for some or most of it). BUT, the Seahawks are in a rebuilding phase at the moment, and they also missed the playoffs for the first time in seven years this last winter. And while it can’t be definitively proven, the protests and all the SJW work were a definite distraction. A football team’s first job is to win games. When you don’t do that, you don’t get the slack to be a social justice warrior on your off time.

With Michael Bennett now traded to Philadelphia Eagles and now facing a completely different set of legal issues, the team is trying to refocus and rebuild, especially their defensive line. Colin Kaepernick is neither a refocusing help or a defensive line asset.

As far as Kaepernick is concerned, yes, he needs to decide what his protest platform is going to look like going forward. The lawsuit he currently has filed for collusion against the NFL is also a giant stumbling block (though one could argue that the second he gets a job, the lawsuit is null and void – so is that what it is really about, just suing until someone gives him a contract to play?), and the media has created the image of Kaepernick the SJW – and they will continue to follow him around, asking questions, and generally just being a huge distraction. That’s not an asset to any team, and until he knows what he wants to do with his life, both within and without football, then it’s a fair question for any potential employer to push on.

The NFL owners know that they took a hit in ratings and image last year. Given the reports, they are trying to repair some of that damage by directly asking players what they plan on doing during the season. It’s not exactly a hard demand, but they are definitely trying to get a feel for how the players’ opinions are going to shape this season. Given how they are looking to keep fans watching games and sitting in stadium seats to keep the money rolling in, I have the feeling Colin Kaepernick and his media circus are going to be watching this season from his living room couch yet again.