Does Colin Kaepernick still want to play football in the NFL and in the Olympics?
The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, who hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016, was asked about the possibility of competing in flag football at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“Hopefully I’ll be there,” Kapernick told Sky Sports. “I’ll work on a few things and see if I can play, but I’d be happy if I can.”
The non-contact sport, in which a game is stopped by ripping off one of the flags attached to the ball carrier’s waist belt, is set to make its Olympic debut in 2028. Some NFL players have already expressed interest in taking part, and the league is reportedly encouraging current players to get involved.
Kaepernick, 36, has not played in the NFL since parting ways with the 49ers in 2016 after he began kneeling during the national anthem in protest of racial injustice.
“We’re still training, we’re still working hard,” he told Sky Sports, “so hopefully, one of the team owners will be open-minded.”
Kaepernick, a second-round pick by San Francisco in the 2011 draft, spent his entire six-year NFL career with the 49ers. He led the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII, where the team lost 34-31 to the Baltimore Ravens.
Kaepernick had a 28-30 regular season record with 12,271 passing yards, 72 touchdown passes, 30 interceptions, a 59.8% pass completion rate and 13 rushing touchdowns.
In 2016, Kaepernick’s final season with the team, the 49ers were just 1-10 in games with Kaepernick as a starter.
He has failed to generate much interest around the league since then, despite some high-profile workouts and open auditions.
He interviewed with the Seattle Seahawks in 2017 and tried out with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022, but both teams declined to sign him. Kaepernick wrote a letter to the New York Jets last season requesting to join their practice squad after recently acquired quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles injury as the team’s starting offensive right.
“I mean, this is something I’ve been training for my whole life,” Kaepernick told Sky Sports when asked about what it would mean to return to the NFL. “So, I think if I can get back on the field, it would be a big moment for me, a big accomplishment, and I think I can bring a lot to the team and help us win a championship.”
