It’s been more than five years since Colin Kaepernick last played in the NFL — on January 1, 2017 — but the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback said he’s “still hopeful” about returning to pro football and “still waiting” for his chance.
Barring a miraculous change of heart from one of the NFL’s 32 teams, Kaepernick is going to keep waiting.
When Kaepernick was blackballed by the NFL five years ago after taking a stand for social justice by taking a knee during the national anthem, it was wrong and the league has paid for it. But the grievance that the NFL paid millions to settle with Kaepernick occurred five seasons ago and a lot of football has been played since that time — none of it by the 34-year-old former 49er.
To his credit, Kaepernick is keeping his dream of making an NFL return alive and was working out in the Seattle area with Seahawks receiver Aaron Fuller earlier this week after previously having a throwing session with Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett in Arizona. Kaepernick also recently spoke with Seattle coach Pete Carroll, who didn’t slam the door on the possibility of bringing Kap in for a tryout. “We’ll see,” Carroll said on March 16.
Hand-in-hand with the lukewarm interest from Carroll, who has underwhelming Drew Lock penciled in as the team’s starter following the trade of Russell Wilson, is a report from Kaepernick’s private trainer David Robinson that “at least” five teams have contacted him about the quarterback. Of course, none of those five teams, all unnamed, have yet to bring Kaepernick in for a workout or come close to giving him a contract.
Kaepernick is doing and saying all the right things, but the NFL he left did not yet include star quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson and Joe Burrow. Now it does and there probably isn’t any room for him or the undeserved blowback his return would generate from the vocal minority of the NFL fanbase.
“Still waiting for that chance,” Kaepernick told The Athletic when asked Wednesday about potentially auditioning for the Seahawks in person. “Still hopeful. There’s been a lot of conversation around it. As Pete mentioned, we’ve spoken recently and still hoping that door is open and get a chance to walk through it. We have no expectations of what teams will do, we just want the opportunity to walk in the door and show them what I can do. My talent and my skill set will speak for itself.”
After five years, Kaepernick’s talent and skill set would need to caterwaul and even then it might fall on deaf ears.
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