Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been invited to a private training session hosted by the NFL after a years-long stalemate between him and the league.
Kaepernick, who hasn’t played since the 2016 season, confirmed Tuesday that the NFL reached out to his representatives. The workout will be conducted by the league’s scouting personnel in Atlanta on Saturday and include both an on-field workout and an interview opportunity.
The Morning Rundown
Get a head start on the morning’s top stories.
“I’ve been in shape and ready for this for 3 years, can’t wait to see the head coaches and GMs on Saturday,” Kaepernick said.
Kaepernick has not been signed by any team since he left the 49ers following the 2016 season, after the player made national headlines for kneeling alongside former teammate Eric Reid during the national anthem in protest of systemic racism. Reid has continued to play and is now with the Carolina Panthers.
The 32-year-old quarterback posted a video of himself working out in August, declaring that he was still ready to play professional football.
Lawyers for Kaepernick and the league said in February that the two parties came to a settlement agreement regarding his collusion grievance against the NFL. The details of the settlement were not released and subject to a confidentiality agreement.
He was drafted in 2011 from the University of Nevada and took over as the starting quarterback for the 49ers halfway through the 2012 season. He led his team to the 2013 Super Bowl and the 2014 NFC championship game.
He had a passer rating of 90.7 in the 2016 season he played for the 49ers, which was middle of the pack for starting QBs. He was statistically ahead of several highly paid quarterbacks still in the league today — such as Philip Rivers, Eli Manning and Joe Flacco.
Despite being out of pro football, Kaepernick has remained a key civil rights figure. Nike tailored a marketing campaign around him this past September, coining the phrase: “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.”
David K. Li contributed.
