Colin Kaepernick, now 36 years old, has been outcast from the NFL since 2016, when on-field demonstrations to bring attention to police brutality and social injustice created a firestorm of controversy.
Kneeling for the anthem became the contentious, racially and politically driven centerpiece distorting his larger goal, which was to unite and improve the country using his platform as a star quarterback.
NFL Owners Don’t Want Kaepernick Back On Field
Kaepernick has never had a real opportunity to get back behind center. If he was going to return to the league in any capacity it would be under an eccentric coach with great power and autonomy in decision-making and a personal relationship with Kaepernick that would bring him in.
Jim Harbaugh immediately fit that role when he assumed the head coach job of the Los Angeles Chargers. Harbaugh was the guy who originally realized Kaepernick’s potential and the two rode their chemistry to the Super Bowl four years prior to all hell breaking loose.
Kaepernick sued the league in 2019 for collusion and received an undisclosed settlement as a result of the case, which seemed like an end to the saga. Or so some hoped.
There hasn’t been any movement on the 36-year-old Kaepernick, who still wants to play QB in the NFL, getting an opportunity behind center, but Harbaugh did address the possibility of bringing in the intelligent QB as a coach.
In speaking with Jarrett Bell of USA TODAY, Harbaugh discussed having Kaepernick with the Chargers but in the capacity of a coach, rather than as a player. Harbaugh goes as far as to say Kaep is “considering it”.
“If that was ever the path he was to take, I think that would be tremendous. He’d be a tremendous coach, if that’s the path he chose.”
Harbaugh went as far as to admit that he has discussed a coaching gig with the former dual-threat dynamo turned social activist.
“Yeah, we talked a little bit about it,” Harbaugh said. “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.”
Jim Harbaugh Officially Offer Colin Kaepernick A Job On Coaching Staff
Latest reports say Harbaugh has officially offered Kaepernick a coaching position on his staff with the Los Angeles Chargers, according to Bell.
This would set the stage for a remarkable return to the NFL, something many people who felt Kaepernick was “blackballed” from the league for his beliefs, have been waiting for. The way his entire ordeal worked out, with the NFL basically paying him to go away, left a bad taste in the mouths of many fans who felt he should have gotten another shot in the league.
His only crime was utilizing his rights as an American citizen and disrupting the football season, in the minds of some.
For those reasons, many have considered Kaepernick to be “blackballed” from the league but he has always maintained that he would like another shot at playing as he told Sky Sports in an interview last week. So, he might not even desire a coaching gig at this point.
Colin Kaepernick Still Wants To Play
The way his football career was snatched from him while at its peak for standing up for injustice in this country has got to leave a bad taste in Kaep’s mouth, regardless of the legal victories, humanitarian and justice awards and recognitions he has enjoyed in the aftermath.
He will never have closure as an elite player or as a competitor if he doesn’t get one more shot to prove he can still play. The NFL basically made sure that never happened.
“We’re still training, still pushing,” Kaepernick told Sky Sports News. “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, I think that would be a major moment, a major accomplishment for me. I think I could bring a lot to a team and help them win a championship.”
Kaepernick spent six years with the San Francisco 49ers, helping them to their first Super Bowl since 1994 during the 2012 season, and Harbaugh has said he recognizes the quarterback as a hero.
Kaepernick returning to the NFL as a coach definitely doesn’t have the same significance or symbolism as him being on the field, behind center. That is the only vindication that plenty of people think would make things right. Others of course, will probably rehash old misinterpretations of “wokism”, “divisiveness” and “disruption” and disrespect to the flag, but like Jay-Z once said, “we’re past kneeling” at this point.
Therefore, anybody that is anti-Kaep should be past it as well.
