You can't apply a patch if you're using it as a shared library, and OpenSSL is only part of the problem - what about SChannel on Windows? That can never get NPN support, until perhaps Windows 8.
I know NPN is the right thing to do long-term, but shouldn't any possible alternative be supported if it makes SPDY more accessible?
I understand that NPN can be a pain, but it's the right thing to do. Connection: Upgrade is slower and breaks over MITM proxies.