Could Colin Kaepernick return to NFL this season? Former QB is ‘training nonstop’
ByHT News Desk
Published on: Jul 08, 2025 02:27 PM IST
Former QB Colin Kaepernick said he feels ready to return to the NFL. He added that he ‘has been training nonstop’ and is prepared to play.
Colin Kaepernick last threw a pass for the San Francisco 49ers back in 2017. It’s been an eight-year drought for the player but he still believes he is ready and in shape to play this season.
Colin Kaepernick says he is ready for NFL return. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Colin Kaepernick says he is ready for NFL return. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
In an online interview shared on July 6, 2025, Kaepernick said he feels ready to return to the NFL. He added that he has been training and is prepared to play.
“I’ve been training nonstop and believe I can start in this league. I’m just waiting for the right team to call,” Kaepernick said.
In a 2023 interview with Sports Illustrated, Kaepernick openly spoke about his desire to continue playing in the league despite his long absence from the field. “When I had my workout with the Raiders last year, even training with guys, there’s a decent amount of people who may have forgotten what I was capable of doing on the field, so any chance to be able to remind people of what I can do out there, I look forward to and embrace, and I look forward to the day that I get to step on the field and show people what I can do,” he shared.
He then went on to talk about how he’s keeping in shape and hopes that the roster manages to squeeze in a place for him. “I’m going to keep pushing. 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,” he added.
What caused Kaepernick’s NFL drought?
Kaepernick is now 37 years of age. During a 2016 outing with the 49ers, a controversial decision taken by him on the field put a seemingly deadly halt to his career. The former quarterback chose to kneel as the national anthem played during a game that year: a mark of protest against the discrimination faced by minorities.
He played his last game against the Seattle Seahawks on January 1, 2017. Although no official reason was ever stated for the same, Kaepernick never returned to the roster following that controversial incident.
Kaepernick revealed that he still trains six days a week and keeps in shape, waiting for his chance to return to the field.
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