Colin Kaepernick Offered NFL Coaching Job
Whoa.
Polarizing former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick officially has an NFL job offer on his plate — it’s just not the one he’s been pining for.
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh revealed that he was looking for something of a reunion with Kaepernick.
(Harbaugh coached Kaepernick in San Francisco in the mid-2010s, where the two almost won a Super Bowl together.)
However, given that the Chargers have one of the top young quarterbacks in football in Justin Herbert, it makes sense that Harbaugh wouldn’t want the distraction of a 36-year-old Kaepernick vying for a roster spot.
A coaching position would be a much cleaner fit for the former quarterback — and that’s what was apparently offered.
Speaking to USA Today after a team practice, Harbaugh explained that he thinks Kaepernick would fit in nicely as a coach.
“If that was ever the path he was to take, I think that would be tremendous,” Harbaugh told the outlet. “He’d be a tremendous coach, if that’s the path he chose.”
Apparently, this offer has been on the table since January, when Harbaugh returned to the NFL after a successful stint at the University of Michigan.
Harbaugh just hasn’t gotten a response yet.
“Yeah, we talked a little bit about it,” Harbaugh said. “He’s considering it. He was out of the country. He said he was going to get back to me.
“We haven’t reconnected since then. That was early, early in the year.”
Harbaugh, no stranger to controversy, clearly isn’t worried about whatever negative press may accompany hiring a quarterback perhaps known more for kneeling during the “The Star-Spangled Banner” than his lone run to the Super Bowl.
Many have already forgotten (and forgiven and moved on), but Kaepernick’s stunts had a tangibly negative effect on television ratings for some time, exacerbated by others mimicking the protest.
Could Kaepernick’s highly-polarizing personality fit as an assistant coach?
That question — and Harbaugh’s offer — may go unanswered, however, if Kaepernick’s recent remarks are anything to go by.
“And will we see you play [in the] NFL again?” a Sky Sports interviewer asked him.
“We’re still training, still pushing. So, hopefully, we, uh, just got to get one of these team owners to open up,” Kaepernick, who has not played football since 2017, responded.
Kaepernick added: “I mean, it’s something I’ve trained my whole life for, so being able to step back on that field, I think that would be a major moment, a major accomplishment for me. Also, I think it’s something that I could bring a lot to a team and help them win a championship.”
The former Niners quarterback could still “bring a lot to a team and help them win a championship” as a coach, and the offer is there.
It’s just not the offer he wants.
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