NFL training camp is well underway with more than 100 quarterbacks currently rostered and either fighting for a starting spot or a backup spot for the 2024 season. As they all battle it out, it appears Colin Kaepernick is hoping to join them as part of an NFL return.
Kaepernick, age 36, has eyed an NFL comeback for years. He still holds the NFL records for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a regular-season game (181) and the most rushing yards by a quarterback in a postseason game (264).
- Colin Kaepernick stats (ESPN): 88.9 QB rating, 72-30 TD-INT ratio, 12,271 passing yards, 59.8% completion rate, 2,300 rushing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns, 6.1 yards per carry in 69 games
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The 6-foot-4 quarterback’s public interest in making a return to the NFL also comes at an interesting time. He excelled with the San Francisco 49ers under head coach Jim Harbaugh, who made his way back to the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason.
During Kaepernick’s attempts to get back in the league previously, Harbaugh has supported him. As the Michigan Wolverines coach, he hosted and watched Kaepernick hold a throwing session during Michigan’s spring game in 2022. Two years later, with Harbaugh now running the Los Angeles Chargers, Kaepernick is once again asking for a chance.
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Asked by a reporter from Sky Sports News about if we’ll ever see him play in the NFL again, Kaepernick said he is still training for it and it all comes down to a team owner giving him a chance.
“We’re still training, still pushing. Hopefully. We just gotta get one of these team owners to open up…To be able to step back on the field, I think that would be a major moment, a major accomplishment for me. I think it’s something, I could bring a lot to a team and help them win a championship
Colin Kaepernick on if he’ll play in the NFL again
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- Colin Kaepernick career earnings (Spotrac): $43.479 million
Will an NFL team sign Colin Kaepernick?
It should be noted that the Chargers are in a bad spot at quarterback right now. Justin Herbert is sidelined by a plantar fascia injury and while he’s tentatively expected to play in Week 1, plantar fascia injuries tend to linger all season. As for his backup, the reports from Chargers training camp on Easton Stick are alarming.
With that said, the odds of Kaepernick being signed by Los Angeles are about as good as the odds of Harbaugh stepping in as the Chargers quarterback this season. Kaepernick’s last NFL snap came on January 1, 2017. To put that into perspective, Myles Garrett was drafted with the first overall pick months later and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year is now entering his eighth NFL season.
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Even a shorter layoff from football would be concerning. Deshaun Watson held a career 104.5 QB rating and a 67.8% completion rate in his first four NFL seasons. After sitting out the 2021 season and then being suspended 11 games in 2022, Watson has an 81.7 QB rating with a 59.8% completion rate in two seasons since he returned to the NFL.
Trey Lance is another example. After dominating at North Dakota State in 2019, he played one game the following year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He played in just 8 games in his first two NFL seasons and the lack of reps kept him from developing.
Nearly a decade removed from playing in the NFL, no team would consider signing Kaepernick. As much as he might want the opportunity, there are dozens of quarterbacks more deserving right now.
