49ers GM Lynch advises Kaepernick to confirm football is his top priority

Nearly four months after opting out his contract with the San Francisco 49ers, Colin Kaepernick remains a free agent. Now, well into the summer, Kaepernick is receiving unsolicited advice from the unlikeliest of sources.

49ers general manager John Lynch believes that Kaepernick would be well-served by releasing a statement, confirming his desire to play professional football. Lynch previously stated that Kaepernick would've been released by the 49ers if he hadn't opted out of his previous deal.

"I think the way you could best help yourself is not to have someone talk for you, not have statements, but go sit down and give an interview and let people know where you stand because he makes a compelling case as to how bad he wants to be in the league when you talk to him," Lynch said recently of Kaepernick during a radio appearance on KNBR.

Lynch's comments appear to be somewhat disingenuous, seeing that the 49ers would've released Kaepernick under his oversight.

The executive clarified that he believes Kaepernick wants to play football, but there's a perception that exists that he's solely focused on protesting police brutality and racial inequality.

"I would tell you with my conversations with Colin, he is fully committed to wanting to be in this league," Lynch said. "I gave that opinion to Colin myself: ‘I think you are having a little bit of an image crisis in terms of, not so much what you did last year, but people are wondering: Is this most important to you?’ At a position where the guys who succeed at the position are the guys who live it, breathe it, the CEOs at that position. And I think there is a perception that football is not at the top of the list."

In any event, the timing of Lynch's comments are certainly curious, as Kaepernick remains on the open market despite a bevy of lesser quarterbacks receiving contracts this summer.