Colin Kaepernick’s Girlfriend, Nessa Diab, Reportedly Blew His Shot At NFL Comeback — Right Before Team Was About To Sign Him
Colin Kaepernick may have come far closer to an NFL return than many realised, with Ray Lewis claiming a social media post from the quarterback’s longtime partner Nessa Diab helped derail a potential deal with the Baltimore Ravens.
Lewis has revisited the episode, saying Baltimore was preparing to move forward with Kaepernick in 2017 before a controversial image posted by Diab changed the situation overnight.
According to the former Ravens star, owner Steve Bisciotti wanted confirmation directly from Kaepernick that he still wanted to play before the team completed a deal.
Then, the following day, Diab shared a post comparing Lewis and Bisciotti to characters from Django Unchained.
Ray Lewis Says Ravens Were Ready to Sign Kaepernick
Lewis described the situation during an appearance on Showtime’s Inside the NFL.
He said Baltimore had reached the point where a Kaepernick signing was close.
“We were going to close the deal to sign him,” Lewis said.
“And it never happens because that picture comes up the next day.”
The post showed an image of Lewis hugging Bisciotti alongside a scene from Django Unchained, in which Samuel L. Jackson’s character is shown beside Leonardo DiCaprio’s plantation owner character.
The comparison quickly drew attention online.
Lewis said Diab was not aware that the Ravens were working behind the scenes on a potential contract at the time.
🎯 @raylewis pic.twitter.com/N9k7nDgmDh
— NESSA (@nessnitty) August 3, 2017
Social Media Post Changed Everything
Lewis had reportedly been one of the people advocating for Baltimore to bring Kaepernick in.
Bisciotti had also previously acknowledged Lewis’s involvement in the discussions.
But after Diab’s post surfaced, the deal never materialised.
Then-Ravens coach John Harbaugh later distanced himself from Lewis’s account when asked about it, saying he was “way past that”.
The episode has nevertheless remained one of the biggest what-if moments of Kaepernick’s post-San Francisco career.
Kaepernick Has Not Played Since 2016
Kaepernick has not appeared in an NFL game since the 2016 season.
That same year, he began kneeling during the national anthem as a protest against racial injustice.
He has repeatedly said he would make the same decision again.
Despite remaining out of the league, Kaepernick has continued to insist that he is ready to play if an NFL team offers him an opportunity.
Diab has also continued supporting his desire to return to football.
The couple have been together since 2015 and share a family.
Comeback Hopes Never Fully Disappeared
Kaepernick has publicly said that he continues to train every day and remains prepared if an NFL franchise calls.
Baltimore was not the only team to explore the possibility of bringing him back.
Other franchises later worked him out, but none of those opportunities resulted in a contract.
Lewis’s version of events suggests the Ravens may have represented one of the most serious chances Kaepernick had to return after leaving the 49ers.
The former quarterback has maintained that any future opportunity should be judged on his football ability rather than the controversy that followed him off the field.
One Post, One Huge What-If
Years later, the episode continues to stand out because of how close Lewis says the Ravens were to completing the move.
Had Diab’s post never appeared, Lewis believes Kaepernick may have ended up in Baltimore.
Instead, the deal disappeared and Kaepernick remained outside the NFL.
For a player whose potential comeback has been discussed repeatedly since 2016, the Ravens chapter remains one of the clearest examples of an opportunity that appeared to be within reach — only to vanish before it became official.
