John Bazemore/Associated Press

Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick dismissed the notion Colin Kaepernick's social activism has played a role in his inability to sign with a team this offseason.

"It has nothing to do with him being blackballed," Vick said on FS1's The Herd (via Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith). "The gesture that he made last year when he took the stand to do what he did, listen, we all appreciated it, we respected it, and it was a good thing. I really think the stand that he took has nothing to do with him not having a job playing in the National Football League right now."

Vick also made the case that NFL teams may be hesitating to sign Kaepernick because he wouldn't be a fit in a pro-style offense that requires more of a pocket passer: "Any other type of offense I don't think will help him right now because it's going to take him so long to adjust and learn the system, protections, blitzes, what to look for, receivers, that type of camaraderie doesn’t happen overnight."

The Kaepernick discussion begins at the 8:40 mark of the video below:

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He would later appear on FS1's Speak For Yourself and offer a suggestion for Kaepernick to cut his hair:

There's no question Kaepernick has struggled since his best years in 2012 and 2013, when it looked like he was at the forefront of a revolution at the quarterback position. Between 2014 and 2016, he appeared in 37 games, throwing for 7,225 yards, 41 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.

Still, many have wondered whether Kaepernick's national anthem protest last year, as well as his continued advocacy for social issues has impacted his chances of signing with a new team.

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett said last month that "race and politics" explained why Kaepernick remained a free agent, per ESPN.com's Sheil Kapadia.

New York Giants co-owner John Mara told The MMQB's Jenny Vrentas that the team had "never received more emotional mail from people than I did about that [potentially signing Kaepernick."

Vrentas noted the Giants weren't a good fit for Kaepernick since they already had Eli Manning but that Mara's comment "offer a league-wide glimpse into some of the unusual circumstances surrounding Kaepernick's job search."

Kaepernick visited with the Seahawks in May, but Seattle head coach Pete Carroll said the team didn't intend to sign the 29-year-old since he was good enough to warrant a starting opportunity—something he wouldn't receive with Russell Wilson under center for the Seahawks.