Colin Kaepernick has Jim Harbaugh offer for NFL return — as a Chargers coach

Colin Kaepernick may be nearing an NFL return — as a coach. 

Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh told USA Today that he inquired with Kaepernick in January about joining the team in a “non-playing capacity,” though there hasn’t been an update on the offer since then. 

“Yeah, we talked a little bit about it,” Harbaugh told the outlet. “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.” 

Harbaugh, who coached Kaepernick with the 49ers for four seasons from 2011-14, raved about his former quarterback’s potential on the sidelines. 

“If that was ever the path he was to take, I think that would be tremendous,” Harbaugh told the outlet. “He’d be a tremendous coach, if that’s the path he chose.” 

Kaepernick, who hasn’t played in the league since 2016, has been outspoken about racial injustice and police brutality in the United States.

He most notably made headlines late in his NFL career for kneeling in protest during the national anthem. 

Kaepernick settled a grievance in 2019 against the NFL alleging that team owners were colluding to keep him out of the league an 

At 36, Kaepernick has been trying to get back on an NFL field ever since and is reportedly continuing that pursuit ahead of the 2024 season. 

“We’re still training, still pushing,” Kaepernick told Sky Sports News earlier this week. “So hopefully. We’ve just got to get one of these team owners to open up. 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.”