Colin Kaepernick has not played a down of football in the NFL since 2016, but gamers will be able to add the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback to their Madden 21 rosters.
EA Sports, the creator of the Madden NFL franchise, announced Tuesday that Kaepernick will be available as the top-rated free-agent quarterback, according to Bleacher Report. Kaepernick will be available in the Madden 21 Play Now and Franchise modes.
“The team at EA Sports, along with millions of “Madden NFL fans, want to see him back in our game,” EA Sports said in a statement. "We’ve had a long relationship with Colin through “Madden NFL” and worked through our past soundtrack mistakes.
“Knowing that our EA Sports experiences are platforms for players to create, we want to make Madden NFL a place that reflects Colin’s position and talent, rates him as a starting QB, and empowers our fans to express their hopes for the future of football.”
The “soundtrack mistakes” refers to EA Sports previously removing references to Kaepernick in two songs that were on the game’s soundtracks in Madden 18 and Madden 19, according to The Undefeated.
Kaepernick has been unsigned since 2016. During the preseason that season, Kaepernick began the custom of kneeling on the sidelines during the national anthem to protest racial injustice, NPR reported.
Kaepernick will have an overall rating of 81, according to NFL.com. That puts him ahead of current starting quarterbacks Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns, Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders, Ryan Tannehill of the Tennessee Titans and 2015 NFL MVP Cam Newton, who is now with the New England Patriots. Kaepernick’s rating is also higher than Cincinnati rookie Joe Burrow, the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL draft.
When Kaepernick was an active starting quarterback, he was rated 89, 89, 81 overall, EA Sports said in its release.
Signature, user-controlled celebrations are a new feature of the Madden brand this year. Kaepernick has chosen to raise his fist as a symbol of Black Power after he makes a big play or scores a touchdown, EA Sports said.
Madden NFL 21 was released Aug. 28. EA Sports said the game will be free for all gamers from Thursday through Sunday of Week 1 to give gamers a chance to use Kaepernick.