Colin Kaepernick claims he wakes up every morning and still trains as if he were in the NFL. He reiterated to Jemele Hill at the Black Footwear Forum on Saturday in Detroit, Michigan, that he still believes he can play in the league and is waiting for that opportunity.
Unfortunately, despite our attendance, OutKick could not ask him about his position because he and Hill chose not to take questions from the crowd.
Hill, of course, did not challenge Kaepernick on his statement. Instead, she suggested that she agreed with him, name-dropping the Atlanta Falcons as a team that should consider signing him.
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Hill referenced Atlanta as a “Black city” and noted that the Falcons were down to Cooper Rush at quarterback for Week 1 following injuries to Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix.
Colin Kaepernick and Jemele Hill at Detroit event, (OutKick)
Comments like those from Kaepernick and Hill show how unserious these conversations are.
Rush is not an ideal starting quarterback. But he is at least an active NFL quarterback. He has played every season, mostly due to injuries to starters, since 2021.
In Sunday’s 20-13 loss to the Steelers, Rush went 12-of-22 for 143 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. He is functional.
Colin Kaepernick, after 10 years away, would not be functional. Presumably, no quarterback would be after such a long break.
Hill knows that. However, she also knows the Falcons will not sign Kaepernick, which gives her plausible deniability. At this point, Hill is simply trying to stay relevant on Threads, Bluesky, and racially hysterical message boards on Reddit.
Colin Kaepernick speaks onstage during The Gordon Parks Foundation Awards Dinner and Auction 2026 at Cipriani 42nd Street on May 19, 2026, in New York City. (Getty Images for The Gordon Parks Foundation)
Interestingly, Hill’s suggestion about the Falcons invites mockery of the idea that Kaepernick could play in the NFL at this stage.
Saying Kaepernick could not make an NFL team in 2026 is hardly a knock on him. He turns 39 in November and has not played professional football in 10 years.
A player cannot simply go from not playing football for a decade to playing professionally, regardless of how fit they are.
Yet, because of their conversations, here we are mocking the idea that Kaepernick could.
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San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Eli Harold (58), quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) and free safety Eric Reid (35) kneel in protest during the playing of the national anthem before a NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium on Oct. 6, 2016. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)
Further, NFL teams have no reason to give Kaepernick a shot.
The NFL did not pass on Kaepernick simply because he was the face of the kneeling controversy. Teams passed on him because he had become a distraction on a level his play did not justify.
Imagine signing Kaepernick as a backup. With him would come a media circus. In most cases, you can sit or cut a backup, and no one says a word. Do that with Kaepernick, and he and Jemele Hill would likely respond with accusations of racism.
Put bluntly, Kaepernick was not worth the trouble 10 years ago. He certainly is not worth it now.
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Perhaps the Falcons can upgrade over Cooper Rush. We do not doubt that. But Kaepernick would not be one of those upgrades.