Colin Kaepernick just wants a chance to show he still belongs in the NFL.
The outspoken quarterback recently joined the “I Am Athlete” podcast with Chad Johnson, Adam “Pacman” Jones and Brandon Marshall and was asked if he would be willing to take a deal similar to Carmelo Anthony in the NBA, where he’d take the veteran’s minimum to be a backup.
“Yeah. I know I have to find my way back in,” Kaepernick said, via TMZ Sports. “So, yeah, if I have to come in as a backup, that’s 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.”
Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since 2016 — the same year he began kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality.
His method of protest has been the center of controversy and the quarterback has remained unsigned ever since, prompting him to sue the NFL alleging collusion between owners to avoid signing him.
Kaepernick and the NFL settled that suit in 2019.
The 34-year-old has continued to stay in shape and recently worked out with Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett, who argued Kaepernick was ready to return.
Kaepernick actually received an invite to work out for the Seahawks in 2017 — the only team he’s worked out for since he began protesting — but Pete Carroll passed, explaining that Kaepernick is a starter and the team had one already in Russell Wilson.
The Seahawks currently do not have a starting quarterback.
While Kaepernick helped lead the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance in 2012 — his second year in the league — he struggled in 2016 and was benched after starting 11 games. He threw for 2,241 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions that season.
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