Colin Kaepernick wants to get back on the football field, even if it’s just to lend a helping hand.
The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback penned a letter to New York Jets head coach Joe Douglas on Sept. 21, asking for the opportunity to lead his practice squad following Aaron Rodgers’ season exit due to a torn Achilles.
“I know the aspirations this season were, and still are, to win a championship, and so that Hall of Fame-sized hole will need to be filled as best as possible to keep the team on a Super Bowl track,” Kaepernick said. “As of right now, Zach Wilson is charged with that task, and I wish him and the rest of the team the best moving forward.”
Former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick is seeking a role with the New York Jets, saying he has kept up his training since leaving the NFL in 2016. Above, he takes part in a private NFL workout in 2019 in Riverdale, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Kaepernick noted the position’s depth issues and said he heard a seasoned quarterback would likely take over as backup. While he would relish the chance to take over, he said he would be “honored and extremely grateful” to step in and take charge of the practice squad to get the Jets defense ready each week.
Kaepernick said the move would offer the Jets’ defense the benefit of having a more accurate read on the more mobile/athletic/versatile quarterbacks players will face in weeks four through six. “I would consider it a privilege to be able to do this and would take on this responsibility with the dedication and passion as if it were the QB1 position,” he added.
He said it also would allow the organization to get an authentic look at where he is in terms of football while not putting Wilson under any competitive pressure, adding that he would only look to boost the quarterback’s confidence in any interactions.
“I am sure of my ability to provide you with an elite QB option if, God forbid, QB1 goes down,” Kaepernick said. “However, I know that there may naturally be uncertainties from you and possibly from others about my playing abilities.”
The former NFL player said the proposed risk-free plan allows him to be of great service to the Jets while giving Douglas a low-commitment chance to assess his capabilities to help in any other capacity he sees fit.
“Worst case scenario, you see what I have to offer, and you’re not that impressed,” Kaepernick wrote. “Best case scenario, you realize you have a real weapon at your disposal in the event you ever need to use it.”
Kaepernick played for the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2016, his final year in the league. He exited and became a free agent in the wake of kneeling during the national anthem to protest systemic racism and police brutality.
In 2019, Kaepernick and former safety Eric Reid settled a grievance they filed against the NFL under the collective bargaining agreement, accusing the league of conspiring not to provide him a professional contract in retaliation for the former’s “leadership and advocacy for equality and social justice and his bringing awareness to peculiar institutions still undermining racial equality in the United States.”
While Kaepernick has expressed interest in returning to the league, no franchise has picked him up.
“As a final point, I would like to add this. Unlike many of the veteran QB’s that have been named in the media, I’ve never retired or stopped training,” Kaepernick said in his letter. “My training schedule has remained the same for 6 years; Monday through Friday, 5am-8am training on the field and in the weight room. I’ve kept this training schedule without failure for the past 6 years, in hopes that an opportunity will present itself.”
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