Getty Colin Kaepernick during the 2022 Michigan spring game
Did Colin Kaepernick just receive a ringing endorsement from someone else who has ties to the San Francisco 49ers?
The former 49ers quarterback, who has remained unsigned since 2016 after his high-profile protest against police brutality and racial injustice, tweeted a new Nike promotional video on July 24 featuring him throwing passes to current and former NFL players, including 49ers legendary Jerry Rice and former 49ers receiver Kendrick Bourne, who’s now with the New England Patriots.
“Man he looks great, he looks good, the arm looks strong. He’s got a rocket of an arm,” Bourne says in the video, which features praise for Kaepernick from other players as well. “He’s got another good six years left.” Kaepernick will turn 36 in November, by which point it will have been 11 seasons since he led the 49ers to the 2013 Super Bowl and to the NFC title game after that.
Bourne spent four seasons with the Niners as one of the first draft picks for head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch. That same 2017 class also featured fifth-rounder George Kittle, who became a franchise cornerstone. Bourne would go on to catch 137 passes for 1,769 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s now entering his third season with the Pats.
Star Receivers CeeDee Lamb & Jaylen Waddle Among Others Commenting on Kaepernick
Other players in the video praised Kaepernick’s passes.
“The arm is still intact. Strong arm, deep ball is very nice, and he’s still Kap, he’s still got it to him,” said CeeDee Lamb, a Pro Bowl wide receiver with the Dallas Cowboys.
Miami Dolphins star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle positively assessed Kaepernick’s skills. Waddle now is with several former 49ers in Miami — onetime offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel and running backs Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson.
“Kap’s got a real rocket for an arm, man, so it’s different,” Waddle said. “Real good ball placement. It’s easy when you’ve got a quarterback that’s been through it, he makes it easy for us.”
Pittsburgh Steelers running back and Bay Area native Najee Harris and Tennessee Titans star RB Derrick Henry also were featured in the promotional clip for Nike Football.
Kaepernick Won Over Another Young WR in June 2023
There was one more wideout who spent time with Kaepernick — and ended up becoming impressed by his interactions with him.
Detroit Lions Pro Bowler Amon-Ra St. Brown not only played video games with the ex-49er, but he told Gilbert Manzano of Sports Illustrated back on June 30 that he gave credit to Kaepernick for sticking to what he believed in.
“I give him a lot of credit because he never wavered,” St. Brown said. “He never changed. He stuck to what he believed in. That’s something, as a player who’s in this league now, it can be tough at times, because there’s so much outside noise, so many people above you that have more power than you, that have different things to say, that sometimes you might not want to do what you feel is right or what you believe in. So, as a player now, looking back at it, I really respect what he did, and I think it changed a lot of things.”