Jim Harbaugh wants ex-Nevada star Colin Kaepernick back in the NFL, only as a coach

Colin Kaepernick’s path back to the NFL as a player has been a dead end for almost a decade, but there could be a road back into the league via the coaching ranks.

Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, who coached Kaepernick to a Super Bowl appearance with the San Francisco 49ers, told USA Today reporter Jarrett Bell he wants his former quarterback on his new staff.

“If that was ever the path he was to take, I think that would be tremendous,” Harbaugh told USA Today. “He’d be a tremendous coach if that’s the path he chose.”

Kaepernick, the former Nevada Wolf Pack star, hasn’t been a part of the NFL since 2016, which was his sixth season in the league. That year, he started 11 games and completed 59.2 percent of his passes for 2,241 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also ran for468 yards, 6.8 yards per carry and two touchdowns. His90.7 quarterback rating ranked 17th in the league.

But Kaepernick has not been offered an NFL quarterback job after that season as a reaction to him kneeling during the national anthem in the 2016 season to silently protest police brutality against minorities. Kaepernick has been steadfast in his desire to play in the NFL since then, but the now-36-year-old has not been offered a contract. The closest he got to a deal was a tryout with the Las Vegas Raiders in2022.

Harbaugh said he reached out to Kaepernick about joining the Chargers in a non-playing role after being hired by Los Angeles in January, but there’s been no progress in that quest.

“Yeah, we talked a little bit about it,” Harbaugh told USA Today. “He’s considering it. He was out of the country. He said he was going to get back to me. We haven’t reconnected since then. That was early, early in the year.”

Harbaugh was the 49ers coach when the franchise drafted Kaepernick with the 36th pick of the 2011 NFL draft. Kaepernick became the 49ers’ starter in 2012 and led the team to the Super Bowl where it narrowly lost to the Baltimore Ravens. He led the 49ers back to the NFC championship game in 2013 where they lost to Seattle. After an 8-8 season in 2014, Harbaugh resigned to take the Michigan job with the 49ers’ and Kaepernick’s fortunes falling from there.

“He’s one of my favorite players that I’ve ever coached,” Harbaugh told USA Today. “Love Colin.”

Kaepernick settled a collusion case against the NFL in2019 with the settlement remaining undisclosed. He told theLondon-based television Sky Sports network this week he still desires to play quarterback in the NFL.

“We’re still training, still pushing,” Kaepernick told Sky Sports. “So, hopefully, we’ve just got to get one of these team owners to open up. It’s something I’ve trained my whole life for, so to be able to step back on the field would be a major moment, a major accomplishment for me. Also, I think it’s something I could bring a lot to a team and help them win a championship.”

Harbaugh told USA Today the NFL should beashamed of Kaepernick’s exit from the league and should be welcomed back into the NFL.

“I see him as a hero,” Harbaugh told USA Today. “Heroes get no days off. And he’s being a hero right now and he’s not getting any days off. It’s not for me to choose what path he takes. That’s his decision.”