It was exactly a year ago, on a quiet Monday afternoon in the NFL, when a modest defensive end for the Las Vegas Raiders made league history.

In a short, simple Instagram post, Carl Nassib announced he was gay, becoming the first active player in NFL history to go public.

It instantly became global news and Nassib’s story transcended the sport. His jersey quickly became one of the league’s top sellers.

The biggest impact it had, however, was when the season started and Nassib was just another player. His story quickly faded into the background. I was worried that Nassib would be known and called “the NFL’s gay player”. But that was never really the case.

He fit in like he did in his first five NFL seasons when he was known only as an avid Penn State spinning pass thrower. He was just one of the guys in the Raiders locker room. He received public support from several teammates and there were never any stories or reports of negative treatment or remarks from fans or opponents. Even during the broadcasts of the Raiders game, for the most part, Nassib was talked about for his play on the field.

It was a pivotal moment in football, and in all professional sports, really. Nassib has shown the world (and, more importantly, other athletes who struggle with the idea of ​​coming out publicly) that it can be done relatively painlessly.

Now comes an important test for the rest of the NFL. A team must give him a job. The league, to its credit, celebrated Nassib and supported his favorite cause, The Trevor Project, last season.

But Nassib, 29, is currently unemployed and NFL training camps are expected to begin within a month. The Raiders released Nassib in March after two seasons with the team.

It was obvious that Nassib’s release from the team was a business decision. He had a contract that paid him way more than he produced in Las Vegas. Shortly before his release, the Raiders made a large donation to The Trevor Project.

However, Nassib deserves to be on an NFL roster in 2022 somewhere, assuming he still wants to play. He would likely be a minimum-wage player after compiling a total of four sacks over the past two seasons. He has 22 sacks in six NFL seasons.

The fact that Nassib has been a free agent for three months is nothing to worry about yet. There are several players in the same boat. But if it happens around September and Nassib doesn’t have a chance somewhere or even a visit or a training session, it will become a problem for the league.

It’s easy to celebrate a player when he’s in a team, but if the league bypasses Nassib from that point, it will be a problem.

Last year showed that there were no distractions caused by his decision to come out. It was good for the league. It has been proven that there is no downside for a team to have an openly gay player on their roster. No other current NFL player has been released since June 21, 2021. However, chances are Nassib isn’t the only gay player currently in the league.

One thing that stood out when Nassib appeared on his Raiders teammate Darren Waller’s podcast last September was that he said he had wanted out for a long time, but he wanted the do after gaining financial security. In 2020, Nassib signed a three-year, $25.25 million contract with the Raiders with $13.25 million in guaranteed money. I read Nassib’s comment as if he was wondering if it would be difficult to find a job in the league as an openly gay man.

If Nassib can’t find a job, it could discourage other gay players. It would be an unfortunate step back after all that was won by Nassib’s announcement last summer.

As we sit here on a milestone birthday, let’s hope Carl Nassib’s football journey isn’t over for many reasons.