Colin Kaepernick speaks out on bombshell NFL return rumors – after Jim Harbaugh claimed he offered ex-QB shock path back to the league
Colin Kaepernick broke his silence on Jim Harbaugh’s claim that he sent an invitation to the former quarterback this week.
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Harbaugh made a stunning revelation this offseason when he claimed he had offered his former player a path back to the league.
According to the former San Francisco 49ers boss, the former quarterback is reportedly considering an offer to join Harbaugh’s Chargers, but as a coach and not a player.
The news came as a surprise to the NFL world, including the former signal caller himself.
Kaepernick revealed during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that he didn’t know such an offer ever existed.
Colin Kaepernick (right) broke his silence on rumors he could return to the NFL
Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh claimed he offered Kaepernick a coaching role
“It’s not true,” Kaepernick told Fallon. ‘I found out the same way everyone else did: on social media. I thought, ‘Oh, I got a coaching offer.’ No, no coaching offer.’
The late announcer asked Kaepernick, who hasn’t played in the NFL in eight years since taking a knee during the national anthem and sparking nationwide controversy, if he would be open to returning to the league as a coach.
But the 36-year-old civil rights activist rejected any suggestion of swapping the field for the sidelines.
“No interest in coaching,” Kaepernick responded. “I need the adrenaline rush of playing and being in it, otherwise I think I can have more impact with my time in other places.”
Harbaugh told USA Today in August that he contacted the former signal caller about returning to competition on his Chargers staff shortly after he was named head coach on Jan. 24 following his national championship win with Michigan.
Harbaugh said he also tried to persuade Kaepernick to coach collegiate football while he was hitting the ground running with the Wolverines.
The ex-QB hasn’t played in eight years, ever since he fell to one knee during the national anthem
‘I thought that for a long time. Just the respect I have for the football mentality that he has and the football man that he is,” Harbaugh said when asked what made him believe Kaepernick would be a good coach.
‘[Late Raiders owner] Al Davis saw something in me that made him think I would be a good coach, and I see the same qualities in Colin. If it’s something he chooses.’
Despite not being on the field since January 1, 2017, Kaepernick is determined to get back into the competition, with the quarterback telling Sky Sports: “We’re still training, still pushing. ..we just have to find one of these teams. owners to open up.”
However, some claim that Kaepernick’s dream of playing in the league again is unrealistic, as an NFL insider told DailyMail.com that the quarterback is “delusional.”
Kaepernick joined the 49ers shortly after the team named Harbaugh as head coach
Kaepernick joined the 49ers shortly after the team named Harbaugh as head coach. Together they took San Francisco to Super Bowl XLVII and the NFC championship game the following season.
Harbaugh has supported Kaepernick during his apparent exile from the NFL, even arranging an open workout for the quarterback in 2022.
In 2019, Kaepernick settled a complaint with the NFL for an undisclosed amount after accusing owners of blacklisting him in retaliation for the controversial protests.
While Kaepernick remains an NFL outcast, commissioner Roger Goodell admitted in June 2021 that the league should have listened to players’ concerns about racism sooner, adding that he encouraged teams to sign the former 49ers star.