2024-08-14 23:00:01
Colin Kaepernick is 36 and wants another shot at the NFL.
He’s several years younger than New York Jets starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers (40) and the same age that Matthew Stafford of the Rams, Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons and Russell Wilson of the Pittsburgh Steelers either are now or will be during the upcoming season.
Unlike those guys, however, Kaepernick has been away from the game for quite awhile.
It’s been seven full seasons since the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback has taken a snap in an NFL game. During an interview with Sky Sports from the Paris Olympics, however, Kaepernick indicated that he still is keeping himself ready for an opportunity to resume his career.
“We’re still training, still pushing,” he said. “So hopefully we just gotta get one of these team owners to open up.”
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He added: “I could bring a lot to a team and help them win a championship.”
Kaepernick took the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII following the 2012 season and back to the NFC championship game the next year. He famously refused to stand for the national anthem before games during the 2016 season, then opted out of his contract with the 49ers the following offseason. He never landed on another team.
In October 2017, Kaepernick filed a collusion grievance against the NFL. He and the league reached an agreement to resolve the grievance in February 2019.
Kaepernick repeatedly has expressed an interest in a comeback. Last season he sent a letter to the New York Jets offering to join the practice squad as a “risk-free contingency plan” behind starter Zach Wilson following a season-ending Achilles tendon injury to Rodgers.
Read more: Colin Kaepernick wrote letter to Jets for practice squad job. They passed over exiled QB
The Jets didn’t take him up on his offer, leaving Kaepernick still looking for his next NFL opportunity.
“It’s something I’ve trained my whole life for,” Kaepernick told Sky Sports, “so to be able to step back on the field, I think that would be a major moment, major accomplishment for me.”
During the same interview, Kaepernick was asked if he would be representing the U.S. in flag football when the sport makes its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
“Hopefully we’ll be out there,” Kaepernick said. “We’re gonna work on some things, see if we can make it in there. But we’d love to be out there.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
