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'Let me come in and show you': Colin Kaepernick reaffirms desire to play in NFL, wants to win Super Bowl

Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY
·4 min read
13

Colin Kaepernick hasn't wavered in his stance.

He says he "absolutely" wants to play in the NFL — "that's without question" — and will even take a backup job if that's what it takes to get signed. In a rare public interview, with former NFL players Brandon Marshall, Chad Johnson and Pacman Jones in the I AM ATHLETE podcast that published Monday, Kaepernick opened up on his status, on the work he has been putting in and his desire to win a Super Bowl.

"I know I have to find my way back in," Kaepernick said. "So, yeah, if I have to come in as a backup, that fine. But that's not where I'm staying and when I prove that I'm a starter, I want to be able to step on the field as such. I just need that opportunity to walk through the door."

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh looks on as Colin Kaepernick passes during halftime at the Wolverines' spring game at Michigan Stadium.
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh looks on as Colin Kaepernick passes during halftime at the Wolverines' spring game at Michigan Stadium.

Kaepernick, 34, has been a free agent since the end of the 2016 season, the same year he started protesting police brutality and racial inequality by kneeling during the pre-game playing of the national anthem.

Kaepernick has maintained a low profile with media interviews since then, saying "in part it was a response to the situation" he was facing because he didn't want to feed into the narrative that a team would face a "media circus" if it signed him. He has recently gone through workouts with current and former players, posting highlights and footage to his social media channels, in an attempt to show NFL teams he could still compete at a high level.

Recently, Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh, who was Kaepernick's coach with the 49ers from 2011-14, gave Kaepernick the chance to work out at the program's spring game when Kaepernick was an honorary captain.

"So it was like, 'OK, I'll be quiet. I'll do all my work behind the scenes, I'll be prepared, and we're going to continue to reach out to every team for a workout,' " Kaepernick said. "But as far as what's been done publicly, I don't really do interviews. I haven't sat down like this with anybody, Why I've been low-key is to address the issue that has been raised. And it's like, OK, well that obviously isn't the issue so we'll make it public that I can play and build that narrative that way.

"More than anything, we're just looking for a chance to walk through a door. I'll handle the rest from there."

Kaepernick also said no team has brought him in for a workout and said his only meeting with a franchise was with the Seattle Seahawks in 2017. At the time, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said the team would not sign Kaepernick because it already had a starter in then-quarterback Russell Wilson.

"Things moved on from there," Kaepernick said. "But they don't have a starter right now."

On March 8, Seattle traded Wilson to the Denver Broncos, leaving a void on the Seahawks' depth chart.

Kaepernick helped take the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII after the 2012 season, when San Francisco lost, 34-31, in a thrilling finish to the Baltimore Ravens.

"I need to finish that," Kaepernick said. "My mentality isn't just to go out, 'Oh I want to compete.' No, I want to win a championship. I know that might take different paths to get there. But I whole-heartedly believe Imma make that happen."

In his six seasons in the NFL, Kaepernick has completed 59.8% of his passes for 12,271 yards, with 72 touchdowns versus 30 interceptions. He also ran the ball 375 times for 2,300 yards, with 13 rushing scores.

During one part of the interview, Marshall was role-playing the part of a prospective NFL general manager and raised a question about a team's fans and what the messaging would be if it signed Kaepernick.

"You have 'End Racism' in the back of your end zone," Kaepernick said in response. "You have 'Black Lives Matter' on your helmet. Everything I've said should be in alignment with what you're saying publicly. It's a $16 billion business. When I first took a knee, my jersey went to No. 1 (in sales). When I did the deal with Nike, their value increased by six billion dollars. Six billion, with a B.

"So if you're talking about the business side, it shows beneficial. If you're talking about the playing side, come in, let me compete. You can evaluate me from there. The NFL's supposed to be a meritocracy. Come in, let me compete. If I'm not good enough, get rid of me. But let me come in and show you."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Colin Kaepernick reaffirms desire to play in NFL, win Super Bowl