San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images)
Colin Kaepernick is never going to give up on his dreams.

Like clockwork, Kaepernick lets the world know every year that he’s still in shape and ready to return to the NFL.

This week, reports started floating around that the former 49ers quarterback, who last played in 2016, is letting teams around the league know that he is once again staying in game shape to get his second shot at playing in the league. With OTAs underway and some teams shuffling their QB rooms, Kaepernick’s name resurfaced like it always does this time of year.

Former #49ers QB Colin Kaepernick has let teams know he is staying in shape for an opportunity as #NFL teams have OTAs pic.twitter.com/75BpPCLrMI

— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) June 4, 2025

When Kaepernick first stepped away from the NFL to protest police brutality in 2016, he became a global symbol of activism. He was heavily praised, but he was also heavily blasted by folks who thought he was disrespecting the police and the country.

Since then, he’s been front and center in Nike ads, documentaries, and cultural debates and has basically started a second career away from the NFL.

Colin Kaepernick played six NFL seasons – all with San Francisco – before filing a lawsuit against the league and alleging racial discrimination.

The veteran quarterback has attempted to make an NFL comeback, but returning to the field seems unlikely.

His former coach with the 49ers, Jim Harbaugh, offered him a coaching job with the Los Angeles Chargers, but Kaepernick claimed he was never informed of that opportunity.

Colin Kaepernick’s Girlfriend Says He Is Still Ready

Colin Kaepernick (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Colin Kaepernick hasn’t taken an NFL snap in more than eight years.

But the quarterback-turned-activist, now 37, is still preparing for his NFL comeback, according to his girlfriend.

Nessa Diab, the radio host who has been with Kaepernick since 2015, told TMZ earlier this year that the former San Francisco 49ers signal-caller hasn’t stopped working out.

“All day, every day,” Diab said of her partner’s training. “Nothing has changed. Nothing.”

Kaepernick’s career ended after the 2016 season, when his national anthem protests dominated headlines, and teams wanted nothing to do with the media circus that would follow him if they brought him on.

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color,” Colin Kaepernick told NFL Media in 2016.

“To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way.”

After the season, Kaepernick became a free agent and was not offered another contract with an NFL squad. The former quarterback claimed the NFL owners colluded to blackball him from the league. He settled a lawsuit with the NFL in 2019 for an undisclosed amount.