Even though Nike is one of the most despicable corporations in existence... I had to invest upon hearing this news.
The thing is, Nike is bigger than the NFL. A LOT bigger. They made a incredibly smart decision in using Kaepernick, making a massive statement that they value the players over the leagues they are in. And this gives free reign for other corporations to make their moves too.
The leagues will bend at the will of the corporations, not the other way around. And this creates a massive amount of publicity, aimed directly at Nike. People are burning their Nike's without realizing that they will probably buy Nike's in the future, unknowingly or not. They knew the president would tweet about it, and they know they are on the right side of history. And people are going to be buying nike gear out the ass to support this decision, which will easily outweigh the "protestors" of their products due to this decision.
Colin Kaepernick has now made MORE money than he would have made otherwise, had he stayed obedient and and not kneeled to protest police brutality. This is an incredibly powerful message to other athletes who are scared of the backlash of a racist NFL policy.