Colin Kaepernick hasn’t taken an NFL snap in three seasons, and his former teammate Alex Smith thinks it’s long overdue the quarterback-turned-activist gets another chance to represent a franchise at some point in his career. Speaking with ESPN Radio’s “The Dan Le Batard Show,” the 35-year-old was quick to give Kaep some much-deserved praise.
It was hard to kind of see that trajectory because he was playing so good, and doing things nobody had done. I think he still holds the single-game rushing record for a quarterback. It was crazy.
So with that said, it was so absurd — I think equally — that it was only a few years later when you’re like, ‘This guy doesn’t have a job.’ That was hard to imagine. It still is, a guy with his ability and his trajectory that all of a sudden wasn’t playing.
Kaepernick Replaced Smith as Starting 49ers QB
Kaepernick, who turns 33 this year, replaced Smith as the quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers in 2012. From there, Smith became the new face of the Kansas City Chiefs, breathing new life into the franchise and serving as a mentor for new franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Once Mahomes was named the starter, Smith signed a lucrative contract extension with the Washington Redskins before suffering a devastating leg injury in his first season at FedEx Field.
In his first season as a starter in the Bay Area, Kaepernick led the team to the Super Bowl, losing their first title game in franchise history to the Baltimore Ravens 34-31. Kaep recorded 16 of 28 passes for 302 yards for a touchdown and an interception during that contest.
Kaepernick would go on to play three more years with the 49ers until the end of the 2016 season, the same campaign in which the Nevada product began protesting police brutality by taking a knee during the national anthem. The Wisconsin-born star was consequently blackballed and ultimately filed a grievance against the league, accusing owners and coaches of colluding against him to keep him out of the NFL. Eventually, both sides agreed to an undisclosed settlement and Kaepernick withdrew his grievance in February 2019.
Tweet Falsely Claimed Kaepernick’s Return to NFL
In March, a fake Twitter account acting as SportsCenter posted an incorrect tweet attributing it to known NFL insider Adam Schefter about the upcoming author making a triumphant return to the NFL. It read: “JUST IN: The New York Jets have signed free agent QB Colin Kaepernick to a 1 year / $9 million contract.”
The now-suspended account was called SuperToughScene, and they used the SportsCenter logo and name, making it recognizable at first glance. At least one news outlet, FOX8 in Cleveland, fell for it and published an article based on the tweet in April before quickly replacing it with a corrected version, according to Snopes.
Kaepernick did hold an open workout in November 2019 in Atlanta, inviting NFL team owners and coaches to watch him run drills. Nothing ever materialized from that session, but that’s the last we’ve heard about Kaepernick’s involvement with the league.
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Alex Smith Sounds off on Colin Kaepernick’s ‘Absurd’ NFL Exclusion