Colin Kaepernick Declares His Desire to Join the NFL Again, Saying “I Still Train for It Every Day”

The quarterback and civil rights activist Colin Kaepernick says he is still getting ready for a return to the NFL.

“I still put in daily training for it. I still get ready for it every day,” the 35-year-old Kaepernick said to USA Today. “Trying to get someone to open the door and judge me on the merits of what I can do on the field, rather than it being a political issue, is more important than anything else.” The former NFL standout started 12 games during his final season with the San Francisco 49ers in 2016. With the squad, Kaepernick passed for 12,271 yards and 72 touchdowns in 69 career games. In 2013, he guided the 49ers to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Baltimore Ravens 34–31, but it was a close call. However, the nation’s divided reaction to Kaepernick’s choice to start kneeling during the playing of the national anthem prior to games in 2016 to protest racial injustice, police brutality, and systematic oppression in the US stands on his most lasting memory. The following season, Kaepernick chose to opt out of his deal with San Francisco and has not been signed since. He has frequently expressed his desire to return to the professional game of football. In spite of the former Super Bowl quarterback’s insistence on remaining in game shape, several teams and coaches have hinted at the possibility of signing Kaepernick in recent years, though none have actually done so. “I wouldn’t be coming back to play one year,” he says. “I’m coming back to win a championship and try to win multiple championships.”