Colin Kaepernick's Pathetic Letter to NFL Owner Pleading for Return Released by Friend
After the New York Jets lost legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers for the season after only four plays into his debut with the team, one man — who hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016 — thinks he has an answer for the the struggling franchise.
Former San Francisco QB Colin Kaepernick wrote a letter to Jets general manager Joe Douglas on Thursday, asking for a position on the team’s practice squad “with the sole mission of getting your defense ready each week.”
That that was not, in fact, Kaepernick’s sole mission was made evidence by his follow-up statement that putting him on the practice squad would allow the Jets “to take a real look at where I am football wise.”
The letter was posted to Instagram by rapper J. Cole, a friend of Kaepernick’s who said he shared the letter after talking the former NFL starter into allowing him to do so. You can read the letter in its entirety in J. Cole’s Instagram post, here:
View this post on Instagram
Despite not having played an NFL snap since Jan. 1, 2017, the former San Francisco 49er and his supporters have clung tight to the idea that he should be a quarterback in the league — and preferably a starter.
And Kaepernick apparently sees an opportunity in the fact that the 39-year-old Rodgers will miss the rest of this season — and possibly beyond, given the severity of his injury and his relatively advanced sports age.
But while Jets fans were wallowing in misery in the immediate aftermath of the Rodgers injury (the team would go on to a controversial overtime win after Rodgers’ injury, but has lost two games since), some NFL punditry saw the perfect chance to push the idea of Kaepernick suiting up in the NFL after over six years.
One of the most vocal proponents of the 35-year-old political activist’s return to the football field came from former ESPN host Jemele Hill in a post to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“There’s a QB right there in New Jersey who took a team to a Super Bowl and a NFC championship game,” Hill wrote on Sept. 12. “Rhymes with Happernick.”
There’s a QB right there in New Jersey who took a team to a Super Bowl and a NFC championship game. Rhymes with Happernick.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 12, 2023
When other X users noted that NFL fans last saw Kaepernick when he was struggling to keep a starting position against 49ers journeyman backup Blaine Gabbert, Hill continued to defend him:
Think you mean the same QB who was hurt and then reclaimed his starting spot as soon as he was healthy. I know this will shock you, but most QBs need to be surrounded with good players. And when he no longer had that terrific defense in his last season, he threw ::checks notes::… https://t.co/cl23GTDMDT
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 12, 2023
NFL reporter Jordan Schultz, in fact, reported the same day that Kaepernick was ready to be a Jet.
“I just spoke with Colin Kaepernick, who tells me his agent has reached out to the #Jets about his desire to make an NFL return,” Schultz posted on X. “Kaepernick remains on the West Coast working out.”
I just spoke with Colin Kaepernick, who tells me his agent has reached out to the #Jets about his desire to make an NFL return. Kaepernick remains on the West Coast working out. pic.twitter.com/4yQ0FASqBh
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) September 12, 2023
However, Sports Illustrated reported Tuesday that the Jets had just added 8-year NFL veteran quarterback Trevor Siemian to its practice squad, which would not seem to be a good sign for Kaepernick.
Siemian had previously played for the Jets in the 2019 season.
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