Colin Kaepernick is still preparing for an NFL return nearly a decade after his last game. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback says he remains ready to play and continues training at age 38. Kaepernick also checks quarterback statistics, despite saying he no longer watches NFL games, to identify teams that might need help.
His comments have revived discussion about a comeback that has been unresolved since the 2016 season. The Super Bowl starter has continued to make his availability clear in interviews about his new memoir. His football ambitions now exist alongside his activism. For Kaepernick, returning to the league remains a possibility.
Kaepernick continues to train for an NFL opportunity
Kaepernick told Men’s Health in September 2026 that he is still training five days a week after a 4:30 a.m. wake-up. His routine includes sprints, plyometrics, skill work, and heavy weight training.
He also said he no longer regularly watches NFL games, but he still checks quarterbacks’ stat lines and box scores. He uses those numbers to identify teams he believes might need help.
In a separate September interview with Us Weekly, Kaepernick said he still believes he could outperform many current starting quarterbacks. He added that his cleats are “by the door,” reinforcing that he has not treated his football career as finished.
The comments came as Kaepernick promoted The Perilous Fight, his memoir released Sept. 15. The book covers his upbringing, football career, and 2016 protest.
His last NFL season remains the central context
Kaepernick’s most recent NFL season was 2016, when he started 11 games for San Francisco. NFL.com credits him with 2,241 passing yards, 16 touchdown passes, and four interceptions that season, along with 468 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
His final appearance came Jan. 1, 2017, against the Seattle Seahawks. Kaepernick completed 17 of 22 passes for 215 yards and one touchdown in a 25-23 loss, closing a six-season NFL career with 12,271 passing yards, 72 touchdown passes, and 30 interceptions.
Kaepernick became a free agent after the 2016 season and did not sign with another NFL team. His career statistics show his production as a passer and runner.
The comeback effort has continued for years
Kaepernick’s pursuit of another NFL opportunity did not begin with his latest media appearances. In 2019, his representatives said they had contacted all 32 teams and received little to no response, while Kaepernick continued to train independently.
He later participated in a 2019 workout after the NFL arranged an original session and Kaepernick’s camp moved it to a high school following disagreements with the league’s setup. He threw for scouts and team representatives, but the workout did not result in an NFL contract.
In 2022, Kaepernick threw at Michigan’s spring game with Jim Harbaugh, his former 49ers coach. He said afterward that he was still capable of playing and was looking for a chance to return, including a willingness to begin as a backup.
Fun fact: Colin Kaepernick was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 43rd round of the 2009 MLB Draft as a pitcher. He had received baseball scholarship offers in high school but chose football instead, eventually becoming Nevada’s starting quarterback.
Age and the long layoff remain part of the equation
Kaepernick is 38 years old and has not played an NFL game since January 2017. The length of that absence is a major difference between his current situation and the quarterback market he left behind.
His final NFL season also provides a mixed statistical picture. NFL.com lists his 2016 completion rate at 59.2% and passer rating at 90.7, while Pro Football Focus graded his overall performance 29th among 37 qualified quarterbacks that season.
At the same time, the modern NFL has continued to feature quarterbacks with different paths back to professional football. Philip Rivers returned to the league with the Indianapolis Colts at age 44 during the 2025 season, demonstrating that age alone does not make a return impossible, although each player’s circumstances are different.
Kaepernick’s current training gives teams a potential measure of his physical readiness, but only an NFL club can determine whether that preparation translates to its roster needs. That leaves the central question: how would a team evaluate his current abilities against the demands of an NFL roster after nearly a decade away?
Kaepernick still connects the return to unfinished football goals
Kaepernick has consistently described the chance to play again as more than a symbolic return. In 2022, he said he was willing to enter the league as a backup while making it clear that his longer-term goal remained to compete for a starting role.
His recent comments show that the position has not changed substantially. He told media outlets that he sees returning to the field as a form of closure because he believes his playing career was interrupted, and that he can control his own preparation and work outside football.
That distinction has become central to his public approach. Kaepernick continues to train for football while building projects beyond the NFL, including his advocacy work and the publication of The Perilous Fight. He remains physically prepared and publicly interested in returning despite the lengthy absence.
The NFL opportunity remains unresolved
There is no current NFL contract for Kaepernick, and his recent interviews did not announce a team workout or signing. His comments instead confirm that he remains available and continues to prepare for a possible call.
His career also remains connected to the national anthem protest he began in 2016, when he knelt during the anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality. The NFL later reached a confidential settlement with Kaepernick over his grievance alleging that league owners colluded to keep him out of employment, without the parties publicly disclosing the details of the settlement.
Kaepernick’s latest statements, therefore, add another chapter rather than a resolution. Nearly a decade after his final game, he is still training, monitoring quarterback situations, and keeping his equipment ready for an opportunity that has yet to materialize.
TL;DR
- Colin Kaepernick says he remains prepared for an NFL return at age 38.
- He trains five days a week and monitors quarterback statistics despite no longer regularly watching NFL games.
- His last NFL season came in 2016, and he has not played since Jan. 1, 2017.
- Kaepernick has continued pursuing opportunities through workouts, interviews, and direct outreach to teams.
- His September 2026 comments confirm that his desire to play again remains unchanged.
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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
