Why not Colin Kaepernick?

The question has gained momentum on a national scale, and locally, there probably are some New York Jets fans wondering why their team felt compelled to pounce on 37-year-old journeyman Josh McCown without so much as a phone call to Kaepernick.

Spike Lee thinks it's "fishy" and "stinks to the high heavens."

Sorry, Spike, it's just football. And business.

Kaepernick wasn't right for the Jets' quarterback vacancy, and it had nothing to do with whether he kneels, stands or does jumping jacks during the national anthem. Well, yes, that was part of it, but the overriding reason was based on scheme fit and what-have-you-done-for-me-lately.

Truth be told, Kaepernick hasn't been a good quarterback in a few years. He lost 16 of his last 19 starts for the San Francisco 49ers and his Total QBR over the last two seasons (52.0) ranked 30th out of 32 qualifying quarterbacks, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Kaepernick was an effective quarterback when operating the 49ers' read-option under Jim Harbaugh (2013) and did some decent things last year in Chip Kelly's gadget offense. But Kaepernick hasn't proved himself as a pocket passer.

When throwing from inside the pocket in 2015 and 2016, Kaepernick's QBR was only 39.8 -- 32nd out of 32 quarterbacks. He's also the only quarterback in each of the last two seasons to complete fewer than 60 percent of his passes while averaging fewer than 7 yards per attempt (minimum: 200 attempts).

The Jets are starting over on offense with new coordinator John Morton, who will install a conventional system, probably a form of the West Coast offense. The idea is to build a foundation. With Kaepernick, he would have had to alter the system, and that would've made no sense for a player who probably would've been one-and-done. It would have had a negative effect on the development of QB Christian Hackenberg, who is learning his fourth offense in the last five years, counting Penn State.

So why McCown?

McCown is a football vagabond with an 18-42 record as a starter, but he's like a La-Z-Boy chair -- he makes people feel comfortable. He can adapt to different schemes and different coaches, and he's a good teammate. Clearly, the Jets wanted the noncontroversial, inexpensive route, avoiding a player whose politics might have divided the fan base.

If you're choosing between stopgap quarterbacks, the tie should go to the player who won't be a distraction. Kaepernick's polarizing actions and beliefs would have created a firestorm in New York, and let's be honest: The last thing owner Woody Johnson needed was a divisive influence in his stadium and, perhaps, his locker room. It'll be hard enough to keep the customers happy, considering the current state of the product.

Sports is a business, and every NFL owner has the right to decide which players are good and bad for business.

Let's not be naive and say the other stuff didn't matter. Kaepernick and Johnson are at opposite ends of the political spectrum. Johnson has raised millions for the GOP and served as a major fundraiser for Donald Trump during his presidential campaign -- the same Trump who publicly criticized Kaepernick last fall for his national-anthem protests and continues to tweak the quarterback. And, by the way, Johnson soon could be working for Trump as his ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Perhaps trying to send a message to potential employers, Kaepernick reportedly has reversed his stance, indicating he has no plans to continue his anthem protests during the 2017 season. Too late -- he's "that guy." He's also the guy who last summer donned socks depicting cartoon pigs wearing police hats. How do you think that would've been received among the law-enforcement types who buy tickets and work at MetLife Stadium on game days?

In the end, it was about risk/reward. Kaepernick wasn't going to lead the rebuilding Jets to a championship, but he could have held them back in terms of the overall development of the offense.

Easy decision, not fishy at all.