Colin Kaepernick and Jim Harbaugh have worked together in the past, and if it were up to the Los Angeles Chargers head coach, the former NFL quarterback would be back in the league as part of his coaching staff.
Talking to Jarrett Bell from USA TodayHarbaugh said that after being hired by the Chargers in January, he talked to Kaepernick about taking on a non-playing role. But in the seven months since that conversation nothing has materialized.
“Yeah, we talked about that a little bit,” Harbaugh said. “He is considering it. He was out of the country. He said he would get back to me. We haven’t reconnected since. That was at the beginning of the year.”
One reason for the lack of movement on that front is that Kaepernick still has hope of resuming his playing career. He hasn’t played a losing game in the NFL since January 1, 2017.
Harbaugh and Kaepernick were together for four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, from 2011 to 2014 – right when the quarterback’s rise began, after replacing the injured Alex Smith. He would help the franchise reach Super Bowl XLVII, where they lost to the Baltimore Ravens and then the NFC Championship Game the following season.
“He’s one of my favorite players I’ve ever coached,” Harbaugh said. “I love Colin.”
In an interview this week with Sky SportsKaepernick, now 36, said he continues to train in hopes that an opportunity will arise to play in the NFL again.
“We just need one of these team owners to open up,” Kaepernick said. “It’s something I’ve trained for my whole life, so to be able to return to the field, I think it would be a great moment, a great achievement for me. I think I could bring a lot to a team and help them win a championship.”
Some NFL teams have spoken to Kaepernick or trained with him in recent years, including the Las Vegas Raiders.
Harbaugh did his part to help make the comeback possible. In 2022, while still coaching at Michigan, he arranged for Kaepernick to have a halftime workout at the Wolverines’ spring game.
“I can help build a better team. I can help you win games,” was Kaepernick’s message to the teams afterward.
Kaepernick wouldn’t be the only former 49er on Harbaugh’s staff if he decided to give up his dreams of playing again and take on a coaching or consulting role. The Chargers team already has NaVorro Bowman (linebackers), Jonathan Goodwin (assistant/offensive defender) and Will Tukuafu (defensive line assistant).
Kaepernick hasn’t played since 2016, while he was effectively blackballed from the NFL because of his pregame protests against police brutality and racial injustice. The NFL changed its public stance on the protests after The murder of George Floyd at the hands of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell declared in 2020 that “Black Lives Matter” and “we were wrong for not listening to NFL players sooner and encouraging everyone to speak out and protest peacefully.”
Kaepernick later sued the league for collusion and the sides reached an undisclosed settlement.
Harbaugh said the reasons that prevented Kaepernick from playing the last eight years would not be a problem for him.
“I see him as a hero,” Harbaugh said. “Heroes don’t have days off. And he’s being a hero now and won’t have a day off. It’s not up to me to choose the path he takes. That’s his decision.”
