Madden 21 adds Colin Kaepernick as a free agent quarterback

Colin Kaepernick returns to virtual football as a free agent quarterback in Madden 21.

Colin Kaepernick is perhaps the most divisive player in sports. His stance again racial injustice got him blackballed by the NFL and while it took several years for the league to finally acknowledge he was right to take a knee during the National Anthem, the 32-year-old quarterback remains unsigned. However, you can change that in Madden 21.

With an update today, Electronic Arts has added Colin Kaepernick as a free agent in Madden 21. You are now able to play as him in Play Now or sign him to lead your team in Franchise mode. You can pretty much guarantee that he’ll also be available in Madden Ultimate Team at some point in the future.

In announcing his addition to Madden 21, EA wrote the following statement:

"“Colin Kaepernick is one of the top free agents in football and a starting-caliber quarterback. The team at EA SPORTS, along with millions of Madden NFL fans, want to see him back in our game.“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. We’ve worked with Colin to make this possible, and we’re excited to bring it to all of you today.”"

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Despite being away from the sport since 2016, Kaepernick returns to Madden with an 81 overall rating, making him the highest-rated free agent quarterback and a top 15 signal-caller in the game. He’s rated higher of fellow starting quarterbacks like Ryan Tannehill (Tennessee Titans), Derek Carr (Oakland Raiders), Baker Mayfield (Cleveland Browns), Cam Newton (New England Patriots), Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills), Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals) and Jared Goff (L.A. Rams). His relatively high rating, especially for being away from the game for so long, has garnered some criticism, though it’s mostly from Kaepernick’s detractors.

In addition to his 81 rating, Kaepernick boasts 84 Speed, making him one of the faster quarterbacks in the game and a formidable dual-threat option with 88, Agility, 87 Acceleration, and 82 Change of Direction. Passing wise, he’s got a cannon for an arm with 89 Throw Power; however, his accuracy leaves a lot to be desired with 86 Short Accuracy, 79 Medium Accuracy and 81 Medium Accuracy. At 32-years-old, Kaepernick still has some good years left in him if you want to help turn around your team quickly in Franchise mode.

Next. Madden 21: 10 quarterbacks to build your franchise around. dark

While one could debate his rating, his inclusion in Madden 21 is absolutely the right move by EA. Kaepernick may be a divisive player for how he chose to protest but he was absolutely within his right as an American citizen to kneel during the National Anthem to help raise awareness about “systemic oppression, racism, police terrorism and injustice.” And, truth be told, there are a lot of young kids and football fans who look up to him and admire the stance he took. Giving these kids the ability to play as Kaepernick is a great move by EA.

Hot. Madden 21’s 53-man roster update coming this week. light

It should be noted that Kaepernick’s addition to Madden 21 did not come with the Week 1 roster update. That isn’t expected to arrive until later this week, likely before the start of the first game of the NFL season on Thursday night. It will be reflective of the current 53-man rosters finalized after cut day on Saturday, September 5.

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