The Colts have signed Brian Hoyer to a 3-year, $12 million contract to be their backup quarterback, with $9 million guaranteed. 

The franchise, still reeling from the sudden retirement of Andrew Luck, needed someone in the building to backup Jacoby Brissett. 

Hoyer is 33 and has spent the majority of his career as a backup quarterback in New England. 

He started 37 games in his career and was waived by the Patriots this past weekend. 

In a sport where injury risk is extremely high and having quality at the quarterback position is vital to long-term success, it seems strange that a team would offer a player like Hoyer that much money. 

For context Teddy Bridgewater ($7 million), Ryan Fitzpatrick ($7 million), Blake Bortles ($1 million) and Josh McCown ($2 million) all got less. 

You could make the argument that all of these signal callers are better than Hoyer. Even Bortels and McCown...

To be fair, the Colts also looked into signing Brock Osweiler, Matt Cassel, and Brandon Wheeden. Quarterbacks with substandard skills and track records at best. Though Cassel did win 10 games twice in his career. The most recent coming nine years ago. 

It’s strange Colin Kaepernick wasn’t considered.

The last time NFL fans saw Kap he completed just under 60% of his passes and threw 16 touchdowns against only four interceptions behind a porous offensive line ⁠— and with a collection of skill position players that were average at best.  

Kap has been to a Super Bowl as a starter, and advanced to another conference championship game. 

He has put up 444 yards of total offense in a playoff game. He may not be what he once was, but how would we know?

Kap is only 31. Surely he merits a tryout, right? If teams are indeed all about winning, you need the best possible players on your roster to facilitate that chance. 

The fact is, Kap’s “politics” have made him radioactive to a league that would rather cater to the racist portion of its fan base than allow a man to earn a living. His “politics” are rooted in freedom and equal treatment under the law for all people and the eradication of racial injustice. 

Yeah. Really difficult things to stand behind and support. 

Kap did settle a lawsuit against the league for this very issue and unpaid wages as a result of being blackballed. The results of the settlement are sealed and won’t be released. 

But that doesn’t matter. 

By all accounts Kap continues to work out and is still in his prime years. Surely some team, if winning is the ultimate goal, could use a player of his caliber. Even if only as a backup.