Colin Kaepernick has been on the hunt for a shot at playing in the NFL again since 2016. While he’s made some noise in getting that chance, nothing has come to fruition, and he’s been an afterthought on most NFL Sundays for over a half decade.
Just when you thought Kaep had given up on his NFL dreams, the athlete-activist is once again going out on a limb and attempting to get back in the league after he penned a letter to the New York Jets organization requesting that they let him get a shot to join the practice squad.
Rapper J. Cole shared this letter with the public after Kaepernick sent it to the Jets.
Kaepernick’s letter to the Jets requests that he be signed to the practice squad and that his sole purpose would be to get their defense ready each week. His reasoning is that he could fill the role of an athletic and versatile quarterback who would give their defense multiple looks in practice that they could prepare for.
While that is a solid, and interesting proposition, especially because Kaep is attempting to appeal to New York’s defense, which is by far their strongest unit on the team, Kaep goes on to explain that he could also be a “risk-free” contingency plan should things not work out with Zach Wilson.
“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. In either of these scenarios, I would be committed to getting your defense ready week in and week out, all season long, and I would wear that responsibility like a badge of honor.”
Of course, at this point, the entire football world is aware that the Jets’ real QB1, Aaron Rodgers, is injured for the season, although he said he’s trying to make a comeback if the Jets can make the playoffs. But as of right now, they’re going with Wilson, whom they selected second overall in the 2021 draft.
Wilson has not played well at all, outside of pulling out a win against the Bills after Rodgers went down on the first offensive series, Wilson hasn’t shown up at all against the Cowboys or division-rival Patriots. He’s only thrown two touchdowns to his four interceptions in three games played so far, with a 52.38 completion percentage, according to Pro Football Reference.
But to say Wilson has let his team down would be an understatement.
It was reported by ESPN’s Rich Cimini that the Jets’ defense was not happy at all with head coach Robert Saleh’s continuing support of Zach Wilson being the starting quarterback through his struggles.
Bleacher Report quoted Cimini as saying “This defense knows that if any other player was performing his job the way Wilson is performing his, that player would be benched. Trust me, there’s tension in that locker room.”
But it’s not just the defense and the Jets’ fans who are not pleased with Wilson, even Jets legendary quarterback Joe Namath is fed up.
Namath appeared on “The Michael Kay Show” on ESPN on Monday, saying “Send him to Kansas City to back up against somebody like [Patrick] Mahomes and maybe learn something. I wouldn’t keep him,” Namath said. “I’ve seen enough of Zach Wilson, all right? I’ve seen enough. Has quick feet, can throw a little bit, but I don’t believe what’s going on up there.”
Stephen A. Smith said on “First Take” that Kaepernick deserves another chance and went as far as to say, “I believe he was blackballed.”
He also said that the way Kaepernick handled his “tryout” in 2019 ended any chance the quarterback had of getting back in the league. That’s aside from the settlement he took for being colluded against.
Related: Is Colin Kaepernick’s NFL Workout Just A League Stunt? (theshadowleague.com)
Maybe for any of the reasons Kaepernick stated for giving him a chance, the Jets should look into it if they want to try and salvage one of the best defenses they’ve had in a while — at least until Rodgers is back.
But just like the last seven years, Kaep will probably remain unsigned and there’s fewer people than ever willing to advocate for him.
