Colin Kaepernick hasn’t taken an NFL snap in more than eight years. But the quarterback-turned-activist, now 37, is still preparing for his NFL comeback, according to his girlfriend.
Nessa Diab, the radio host who has been with Kaepernick since 2015, told TMZ that the former San Francisco 49ers signal-caller hasn’t stopped working out.
“All day, every day,” Diab said of her partner’s training. “Nothing has changed. Nothing.”
Kaepernick’s career ended after the 2016 season, when his national anthem protests dominated the cultural conversation.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Media in 2016. “To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way.”
Kaepernick became a free agent after the season and was not offered another contract with an NFL squad. The former quarterback claimed the NFL owners colluded to blackball him from the league.
He settled a lawsuit with the NFL in 2019 for an undisclosed amount.
Kaepernick has tried to mount a comeback in the years since his settlement. It hasn’t worked.
The Seattle Seahawks invited him to a workout in 2020. The Las Vegas Raiders scouted him in 2022. Neither trip resulted in a contract.
Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh — who coached Kaepernick on the 49ers — offered him a job last offseason. The role would’ve seen Kaepernick pivot to coaching.
“He’d be a tremendous coach if that’s the path he chose,” Harbaugh told USA Today last summer.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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