Again, I'm not saying Kaepernick is a good NFL quarterback. I'm moreso taking exception at a poor argument.

You've argued Kaepernick had a single really bad game. (worth noting that he also had a substantially shorter leash than some of those other guys I shared)

Then when I pointed out that a single bad game probably isn't enough to completely invalidate a a guy as an NFL QB, the response is.... "well, his team was really bad that year" instead of focusing on Kaepernick himself.

Here's a much better argument than "Kaepernick had a really bad game and therefore shouldn't be in the NFL"

Kaepernick was, by the numbers, a lower-end starter.  He had some great seasons (under Jim Harbaugh) and some rough (but not completely terrible) seasons (under Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly).  He was overpaid as a franchise QB and had some injury concerns that had limited his effectiveness/availability.  He was a Baker Mayfield, or a Jimmy G or (stylistically and injury-wise) a Marcus Mariota.  Good enough to start if needed, but someone you're really hoping to upgrade from. So, with Kyle Shanahan coming in and wanting a different type of QB (although it's interesting that he now has gone all-in on Lance, who is a similar type), San Francisco chose to move on from him.  To this point, none of his politics play into anything.

After his release, the politics DO play slightly into it.  Not necessarily that owners/GMs disliked his position - they just disliked the circus and distractions that accompanied him.  If you're looking at backup quarterbacks, stability is important.  Kaepernick had injury issues, played a different style than most QBs (meaning the team would have to change its style around him), wanted more money than most backups AND brought a circus with him.  Combine all those factors and he wasn't worth it.  Which is different than saying he wasn't one of the 96 most talented QBs - he most certainly was. External factors (not just the politics, but including those) played a role in him not finding a job in 2017.  Do keep in mind though, that this isn't unique to Kaepernick.  Tim Tebow suffered similarly in 2013.  Tebow was clearly NOT a starter, but as a big-armed backup and locker room guy, he probably could/should have had a backup role somewhere.  But he (whether talking about Kaepernick or Tebow) ultimately wasn't worth the circus to have as a backup.

That's not collusion or blackballing - it's every team indepently reaching the same reasonable conclusion.  But it's also inaccurate to say his positions and media attention had nothing to do with it.  Since that time (2017), Kaepernick has also gone unsigned.  Given that he's a quarterback who relied on athleticism and has gotten older with time (...crazy how that works) and has been out of the NFL for a long time, it's not surprising that he's not up to that level anymore.

Honestly, I think that could well be the cause of the varying reports on his workout.  Some reports said the workout was absolutely embarrassing and terrible.  Others said they were impressed with how in-shape Kaepernick was and how well he threw the ball.  Both can be true.  It can be impressive how in-shape Kaepernick is and how well he threw, given that he's 35 and hasn't played organized football in 5 years....but also still be nowhere near an NFL quality level.