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Jim Harbaugh, after helping Michigan win a national championship, took a job as head coach for the Los Angeles Chargers. He’s back in the NFL now.
Interestingly, this move could mean Colin Kaepernick might return to the NFL too, but maybe not as a player.
In an interview with USA Today, Harbaugh shared that he offered Kaepernick a spot on the Chargers’ coaching staff. “If that was ever the path he was to take, I think that would be tremendous,” Harbaugh said. “He’d be a tremendous coach if that’s the path he chose.”
The chat between Harbaugh and Kaepernick happened soon after Harbaugh joined the Chargers. However, Kaepernick hasn’t responded yet. “Yeah, we talked a little bit about it,” Harbaugh mentioned. “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 has already brought some of his old players from the 49ers onto his coaching team, including NaVorro Bowman and Jonathan Goodwin. But it seems like Kaepernick isn’t very keen on joining them.
Kaepernick told Sky Sports he still dreams of returning to the NFL as a quarterback.
“We’re still training, still pushing,” Kaepernick said. “So, hopefully. We’ve just got to get one of these team owners to open up.”
Back in 2016, Kaepernick was the first player to kneel during the national anthem to protest racial inequality and police brutality. He believes this led to him being blacklisted by the NFL and later sued them for collusion, settling in 2019.
Despite wanting to return, some question whether his attempts are genuine or beneficial for his career at this point. At 36 years old and having been out of action for seven years, skepticism remains about his potential impact on the field.
For a brief period, Harbaugh and Kaepernick were an unstoppable duo.
Harbaugh became head coach of the San Francisco 49ers in 2011 right before they drafted Kaepernick in the second round. The team quickly turned things around under Harbaugh’s leadership and with Alex Smith as quarterback.
When Smith got injured, Kaepernick seized his chance and led the Niners to Super Bowl XLVII with his dynamic playing style but lost to the Ravens.
Kaepernick had another strong season in 2013 but struggled afterward. Harbaugh left for Michigan in 2014, while Kaepernick won only three of his next 19 games before leaving the NFL entirely.
For a moment in time, they created magic together.
