Colin Kaepernick still feels he can help a team that needs a quarterback, even if that means joining the practice squad seven years after his final NFL snap.
The controversially discharged former San Francisco 49ers quarterback last week addressed a letter to the New York Jets asking for a chance to play quarterback for them, but with a twist.
Kaepernick requested a chance to play on the team’s practice squad rather than attempting to win the starting quarterback position with the failing Jets after Aaron Rodgers suffered a season-ending injury.
Players from the practice squad do not count toward a team’s 53-man active roster. In practice, they mostly fulfill the role of the scout team, imitating the strategies used by forthcoming opponents to get the players on the starting lineup ready for the game. To participate in an NFL game, a player must be listed on their team’s 53-man roster.
The letter, which Kaepernick, 35, addressed to Jets general manager Joe Douglas, was posted on Instagram on September 26 by his friend, rapper J. Cole. Kaepernick’s spokesman assured TODAY that he was the author of the Cole-shared letter.
In his letter, Kaepernick promised to treat the position “with the dedication and passion as if it were the QB1 position.”
After 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, Rodgers’ debut season with the New York Jets was prematurely ended when he tore his Achilles tendon after only four plays in the season opener.
Zach Wilson, who replaced Rodgers, has had a terrible time leading the Jets to two straight defeats as of the time of Kaepernick’s letter. With a 57.0 passing rating this season, the third-year quarterback and former No. 2 overall draft pick is currently bottom in the league.
In order to keep in condition for any prospective playing opportunities, Kaepernick, who played his final NFL snap in 2016, revealed that for the previous six years he has trained for three hours every day, Monday through Friday.
Though he reportedly worked out for the Las Vegas Raiders last year, no team has signed him despite his recent attempts to return to the league.
From 2011 through 2016, Kaepernick was a member of the 49ers, helping them to a Super Bowl participation in 2012 and a trip to the NFC Championship Game in 2013.
He started kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 in an effort to draw attention to systematic racism and police brutality, and he quickly gained national notoriety. After the season, he became a free agent, but no NFL team ever signed him, terminating his career.
He complained to the NFL in 2017 and claimed that teams conspired not to sign him to a contract, most likely as a result of his decision to protest during the national anthem. In 2019, Kaepernick resolved the collusion case.
The Jets didn’t respond to Kaepernick’s letter in the media. There are three quarterbacks on their roster right now. On September 26, the team added free agent Trevor Siemian to the practice squad. Tim Boyle serves as Wilson’s backup. In 2019, Siemian previously worked for the Jets.
