Doug Baldwin: Kaepernick's protests just 'minor' reason for FA status

Doug Baldwin doesn't believe Colin Kaepernick is being totally blackballed.

After his Seattle Seahawks elected to pass on signing Kaepernick, the veteran wideout said he feels the quarterback's protests are only a minor issue for NFL teams.

"I can't say that it doesn't (factor in) completely," Baldwin said Tuesday, according to ESPN's Sheil Kapadia. "I think yeah, to some degree. But it's really minor. There's 32 teams out there. Not all of them really care about that.

"So I have no doubt in my mind that he's going to have a job here rather quickly."

Baldwin agrees with his head coach, Pete Carroll, that Kaepernick is a starting-quality quarterback in the league, and said both age and experience have more heavily factored into the passer's current free-agent status.

"It's the business of the NFL," Baldwin said. "Right now you have a lot of young guys who are looking for opportunities. The organizations, they're going to be giving the younger quarterbacks and younger guys the first or second look. They know what Colin can do. They know that he's a starter in this league.

"So they're going to give every opportunity for the young guys to compete, show their talents and then whatever falls, then he'll get an opportunity once all this dust settles."