Alliance of American Football reportedly spoke with Colin Kaepernick to gauge his interest in playing
Colin Kaepernick still hasn't gotten an offer to play football in the NFL despite his ability to be a starting-caliber quarterback in a 32-team league that often lacks 32 starting-caliber quarterbacks, but he did receive interest from the Alliance of American Football, which kicked off its inaugural season this past weekend without Kaepernick's involvement.
On Thursday, AAF co-founder Bill Polian told Lindsay Jones of The Athletic that CEO Charlie Ebersol spoke with Kaepernick to gauge his interest in playing in the eight-team spring league.
On the one hand, playing in the AAF would be an opportunity for Kaepernick to prove that he's still good at playing quarterback. On the other hand, it'd be understandable if Kaepernick feels as if he doesn't need to prove he's still good at playing quarterback considering his credentials.
In 69 career games with the 49ers, Kaepernick completed 59.8 percent of his passes, averaged 7.3 yards per pass, threw 72 touchdowns and 30 interceptions, and accumulated an 88.9 passer rating in addition to rushing for 2,300 yards and 13 touchdowns. He posted similar numbers in six postseason games, which includes a Super Bowl appearance.
Kaepernick might also feel that playing football under the standard three-year, non-guaranteed $250,000 contract in the AAF won't accomplish much of anything in terms of his status in the NFL. He already believes he's being blackballed by the NFL owners for reasons not related to playing quarterback. If that's the case, then playing well in the AAF likely won't change much of anything, and it'd require him to play for significantly less money than he'd earn in the NFL.
During the 2016 season, Kaepernick began protesting social injustice by kneeling during the national anthem -- a movement that countless other players have since participated in. He became a free agent after that season, but has been unable to find a new team in the two years since. The Seahawks and Ravens previously demonstrated interest in him, but neither signed him. In October 2017, Kaepernick filed a collusion grievance against the NFL owners, which is still ongoing. The protests have continued on without Kaepernick.
Week 2 of the AAF's inaugural season will take place on Saturday and Sunday. CBS is a TV partner of the AAF.
