Jim Harbaugh seemed to suggest that Colin Kaepernick turned down an opportunity to join the Los Angeles Chargers as a coach before the start of the NFL season. However, Kaepernick has recently set the record straight, making it clear that no such offer was ever made.
As of January 2025, it will have been eight years since Kaepernick last played in the NFL. After the 2016 season, during which he went 1-10 as the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Kaepernick became a free agent. Despite his efforts to continue his football career, he has been unable to find a team willing to sign him. His struggles to return to the NFL cannot be viewed solely through the lens of his on-field performance; his decision to kneel during the national anthem in 2016 to protest police brutality brought widespread attention and controversy, and Kaepernick believes this protest led to him being blackballed from the league.
While some critics point to his declining performance in his final NFL season as the main reason he wasn’t signed by another team, it’s impossible to ignore the larger conversation surrounding his protest and the backlash it generated.
Kaepernick himself has maintained that his abilities on the field remain sharp, staging multiple comeback attempts over the years. However, given that he’s now 37 years old and has been out of the league for nearly a decade, the odds of an NFL team taking a chance on him again seem slim.
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Even though Kaepernick’s playing days are likely behind him, his knowledge of the game, especially at the quarterback position, is undeniable. He led the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2013 and demonstrated a deep understanding of what it takes to succeed at the highest level of football. So when Harbaugh, who coached Kaepernick during his tenure with the 49ers, suggested the former quarterback could join the Chargers as a coach, it seemed like a logical move.
In August, Harbaugh spoke with USA Today and hinted that he had approached Kaepernick about the possibility of coaching in some capacity for the Chargers. “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.”
However, during a recent interview with Jimmy Fallon, Kaepernick disputed Harbaugh’s account. He made it clear that he never received a coaching offer from Harbaugh, the Chargers, or any NFL team. In fact, he first heard about the supposed opportunity through social media. “I found out the same way everyone else did: on social media. I was like, ‘Oh, I got a coaching offer?’ No. No coaching offer,” Kaepernick said.
Kaepernick also expressed that even if an offer had come through, he likely would have turned it down. “No interest in coaching. I need the adrenaline rush of playing and being in it. I think I can have more impact in other places with my time,” he explained. This statement highlights Kaepernick’s ongoing desire to return to the field rather than transition to a coaching role.
Harbaugh’s initial comments may have been more casual than they appeared, and it doesn’t seem like talks between the two progressed to a formal offer. Still, his statement that “He’s considering it” left the impression that the ball was in Kaepernick’s court. Yet, Kaepernick’s recent remarks make it clear that he was never seriously approached about the role, and even if he had been, coaching isn’t something he’s interested in at this point in his life.
Ultimately, Kaepernick remains focused on using his platform to make an impact off the field, while the possibility of coaching is something he’s not ready to embrace.
Meanwhile, the story of his football career continues to be one of unfulfilled potential and missed opportunities, as both the NFL and Kaepernick seem to have moved in different directions since his last snap in 2016.
