NFL, Kaepernick Apparently Reach Settlement

The NFL gets to put the collusion issue to bed, and they avoid having a court make a definitive statement that they colluded. That's probably worth whatever they paid Kaep and Reid from a marketing perspective and for the NFL's peace of mind.

I think the publicity is actually terrible for them. Ratings tumbled last year when this stuff was at its peak, then rebounded this season as it faded away. The NFL wants all this to become a memory as quickly as possible. Politics makes entertainment, such as sports, a lot less enjoyable. Moving on from this damaging episode is very much in the NFL's interest.

The NFL was probably hoping to avoid discovery. Even if there was no evidence of collusion (direct or otherwise) there could still be plenty of embarrassing stuff in there. Plus, the NFL was probably tired of the attention this whole thing was getting.

Did Kaep/Reid actually have evidence to support their case that the league didn't want to become public?

Hint: the evidence begins with "P" and ends with "eterman".

Just because Reid eventually got signed doesn't mean he didn't have a claim for damages. If the collusion depressed the market for his services, forcing him to miss part of the season and then accept a contract for a smaller amount than he would have otherwise received, he would be entitled to recover for the difference between the greater amount he would have received and the lesser amount he actually received due to the collusion (assuming he could prove all of that).

Kaepernick was the face of the movement. Reid was just another participant out of the many who kneeled - an enthusiastic one, but not one that the majority of folks who were up in arms over Kaepernick would have been able to identify or care about.

Your enthusiasm for discovery is probably the precise reason the league agreed to what I can only assume is a large settlement.

Its fun to laugh at Jerry Jones and the like, but I still cannot comprehend any of the owners (or their lackeys) being stupid or reckless enough to have done something that could meet the standards required for collusion to be proven in the courtroom (not that I know what that standard is, but I assume difficult).

My interpretation is that this is just the NFL getting Kaepernick to go away, once and for all, for what is presumably the proverbial drop in the ocean for them in terms of money.

It's been obvious for a long time now that Kaepernick was never going to play in the NFL again. When ratings fell last year, apparently thanks to this issue, any chance he was going to make it back disappeared. Bringing him back would only allow the fire of controversy to burn longer.

Jeff George is probably the nearest comparison. just rereading his Wiki bio he retired after playing for Washington in 2001, got picked up as an emergency QB by Seattle in 2002, then by Chicago in Nov 2004 and then tried to compete for 3rd string job in Oakland in 2006. Didn't really play in those later years but his ego thought he still had it.