Colin Kaepernick Intends To ‘Keep Fighting’ For Return To NFL

Colin Kaepernick hasn’t played in the NFL in seven years, spending the bulk of his hiatus working toward a return.

Now, ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, the 35-year-old still doesn’t plan on giving up just yet despite having last played for the San Francisco 49ers over six years ago. He’s since spent his time away from the sport standing up for the many social justice causes that turned many away from the uncomfortable conversations he aimed to open up.

“I’m going to keep pushing,” Kaepernick said, according to Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated. “I’m going to keep fighting for it because I know I can step on the field and play. Every workout, every opportunity I’ve had to show that, the feedback has always been positive. Everything from, ‘He’s still an elite player,’ to ‘The workout was great; it was better than expected.'”

During the peak of his time in the league, Kaepernick was viewed as the Alex Smith upgrade, leading the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII — a 34-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Yet, after Kaepernick utilized his platform, birthing the “taking a knee” movement for the marginalized communities enduring police violence and injustice, he became ostracized from the NFL.

Kaepernick’s undergone various workouts in front of NFL teams and scouts, showcasing his abilities last in front of the Oakland Raiders in 2022 — his first shot in five years, which ended to no avail.

“I’ve heard a lot of excuses over the years,” Kaepernick explained. “But most of the time it ends up, ‘Oh, we’re going to see how the guys that we have do.’ With the Raiders’ situation last year, that was (Jarrett) Stidham and Nick Mullens, which to me, you just compare resumes and capabilities, on top of the workout and the feedback, it’s like, ‘O.K., cool.'”