Colin Kaepernick hasn't given up hope on NFL return: 'I still train for it every day'

Tornadoes, frozen linebackers, colossal running backs and UFOs.

It was anything but a normal football game for Colin Kaepernick, and he couldn’t help but feel excited.

It’s a side of him you likely haven’t seen in quite some time. He cracked smiles, laughed and had fun playing alongside Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown in “Wild Card Football,” an arcade-style video game with out-of-this-world power ups that features Kaepernick and other NFL players.

For someone as polarizing as Kaepernick, it’s hard to imagine him picking up a controller, putting on the headset and escaping reality in video games. But it’s something the quarterback has done since he was a kid, and he now sees it as a way to decompress.

As fun as it may be play as himself in a video game, it’s no secret Kaepernick misses playing the real thing.

“I still train for it every day. I still prepare for it every day,” Kaepernick said. “More than anything is trying to get someone to open the door and evaluate me based upon the merits of what I can do on the field, as opposed to it being a political issue.”

He said “the passion and love” for football is still there, but the opportunity isn’t. He worked out with the Las Vegas Raiders in May 2022 and said he's been told he’s still an elite talent.

Staying in NFL shape

Keeping in touch and doing workouts with current NFL players is how Kaepernick said he stays in the know rather than turning on the TV.

“I don't watch games. I follow the stats and I follow players and what they're doing,” he said. “I follow what quarterbacks are doing, so I know which teams to have my agent call.

Kaepernick said there are receivers he would love to throw to in the NFL, giving a big smile to St. Brown while calling him a great receiver.

“There's a lot of talented guys out there doing their thing,” he said. “What Amon-Ra is doing, looking at Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, Stefon Diggs, Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill. There's a lot of talent out there that as a quarterback to sit back there and be like, ‘Alright, I got one of them out there.'”

He also showed love to the quarterbacks who already are becoming the faces of the league, mentioning Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow.

The hope is still there to be among those names. From what he has heard or noticed when he does pay attention to the league, Kapernick said he believes without a doubt he can step into an organization and win games.

‘I’ll keep banging on those doors’

It’s long been debated if Kaepernick, 35, will ever get another chance in the NFL, having not played in over six years. If given the shot, Kaepernick said he wouldn't want to come back to be one-and-done.

“I wouldn't be coming back to play one year. I’m coming back to win a championship and try to win multiple championships,” he said.

With more than 12,000 passing yards, 2,300 rushing yards and 85 touchdowns in his NFL career, Kaepernick still prepares and waits for another chance, while continuing his advocacy. But when he’s not doing that, catch him putting in the work and collecting “dubs” on the controls.

“I’ll keep banging on those doors, but until then, we'll get the competition and that urge out while playing (video games).”

Beating an idol

It was an intense atmosphere when Kaepernick and St. Brown faced off. Tightly contested throughout the game, each player showcased their knowledge of the X’s and O’s of football, while delivering blow after blow with the wild cards. Up late and with the ball, St. Brown gave Kaepernick a chance to tie the game at the end, but the former San Francisco 49er couldn’t convert, much to the delight of the winner.

St. Brown’s win felt deserved since Kaepernick said he won the first matchup between the two. But it might’ve come at an unfair advantage, since he got a copy of the game before meeting the Lions star.

“I had to make sure I was ready,” said Kaepernick, who not only is in the game but is a cover player. "It very much feels like ‘Mario Kart’ or like ‘Fortnite’ to me, where it is the over-the-top game, but that's what makes it fun."

Kaepernick's favorite games include “The Legend of Zelda,” “Final Fantasy” or old school “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

St. Brown is an avid gamer himself. Not only does he play with his brothers, but he also will hop on Discord with his Lions teammates and game together, ironic considering that’s how Detroit revealed its 2023 schedule.

Still, the 23-year-old receiver beat a person he vividly remembers looking up to when he was young. From the insane playoff performances to his signature bicep flex after touchdowns, he said it was dope to see him become a star, and later teach young players to become advocates.

“He set the standard for us as players to stand for what you believe,” St. Brown said.

Kaepernick said more and more players are realizing and finding their power and positions within organizations and society as a whole.

"All of which I think is positive," he said, "and ultimately moves us forward."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Colin Kaepernick trains daily for NFL return, finds joy in video games