Colin Kaepernick and Jim Harbaugh (Photos via Getty Images)
As the NFL season approaches, Jim Harbaugh, the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, has made the final decision on Colin Kaepernick.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Los Angeles Chargers Jim Harbaugh made it clear this week that Colin Kaepernick won’t be joining the organization as a coach this season.
The former Michigan head coach told reporters earlier in the week that he has made offers for the former NFL quarterback to join his staff, but as the season grows closer, there are no plans to have him on the staff in 2024.
Harbaugh said on Thursday that his staff for 2024 is currently full.
“I love Colin, but he’s not going to be on the coaching staff, which is set for this year. And he’s not going to be playing on the roster either,” Harbaugh said, via ESPN.
Jim Harbaugh and Colin Kaepernick are forever connected as they found success while they were a coach-QB duo in San Francisco, which led them to a Super Bowl berth.
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“I have thought that for a long time,” Harbaugh said of Kaepernick’s coaching ability. “Just the respect that I have for the football mind he has and the football man that he is. [Late Raiders owner] Al Davis saw something in me that made him think I would be a good coach, and I see those same qualities in Colin. If it is something he chooses.”
Harbaugh was interested in having his former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick on the Chargers coaching staff since Kaepernick never got a fair shot to play in the league again after the 2016 season, during which he knelt during the national anthem.
Harbaugh had previously contacted Kaepernick shortly after leaving Michigan for the Chargers in January to gauge his interest in returning to the NFL as a coach.
“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.”
Colin Kaepernick’s Only Option To Get Back In The NFL Is A Coaching Staff
Colin Kaepernick, who turns 37 in November, never received his second chance to play in the league after the NFL blackballed him after his protests.
The only chance he will ever get back into the league is as a coaching staff member, which will not happen this year since he took so long to respond to Jim Harbaugh.
Stephen A. Smith Sends A Loud & Clear Message To Colin Kaepernick Ahead Of His Potential NFL Return
Stephen A. Smith and Colin Kaepernick (Photos via Getty Images)Stephen A. Smith has made his feelings clear on the possibility of Colin Kaepernick returning to the NFL.
A route back to the league has opened up for the former quarterback, although it’s not the one he really wants, with new Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh offering him a coaching job with the team.
“If that was ever the path he was to take, I think that would be tremendous,” Harbaugh said this week, per USA Today. “He’d be a tremendous coach, if that’s the path he chose.”
Smith discussed the surprising job offer on his podcast on Wednesday and, having been one of Kap’s most outspoken critics over the years, suggested he could be a good coach, though he reckons the former 49ers star’s time as an NFL player is done.
“If he wants to bring Colin Kaepernick there, cool. No problem. I think Colin Kaepernick would be a good coach. I think that Colin Kaepernick, if he wants the opportunity, should be the coach,” the ESPN host remarked (H/T Awful Announcing).
“What I would say however is I don’t want to hear [expletive] about him being a quarterback. That ship should have sailed. Not only has it sailed, it should have sailed. I know some people don’t want to say it, I will.”
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Colin Kaepernick Still Wants To Win A Super Bowl As A Quarterback
Kaepernick is unlikely to heed Stephen A’s advice as he only recently expressed a desire to help a team win a Super Bowl as a player.
“We’ve just got to get one of these team owners to open up,” he told Sky Sports. “It’s something I’ve trained my whole life for, so to be able to step back on the field, I think that would be a major moment, a major accomplishment for me. I think I could bring a lot to a team and help them win a championship.”
Kaepernick hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016 and is unlikely to be offered another shot at QB in the NFL. Whether he takes Harbaugh up on his offer remains to be seen.
