Colin Kaepernick should have another chance in NFL, Jim Harbaugh says: 'I hope he gets a shot'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Colin Kaepernick remains an NFL free agent despite a workout in front of pro scouts and an appearance in a Super Bowl -- and it has drawn the ire of his former coach Jim Harbaugh.
Harbaugh, who coached Kaepernick from 2011 to 2014 with the San Francisco 49ers, told The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami on his podcast on Friday that it’s “absurd” the quarterback doesn’t have a job.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I love Colin, did then, do now, always will,” Harbaugh said. “I hope he gets a shot. I hope that he has a chance to play again and that he does play. Just my personal view on it."
He added: "[I] don't know all the ramifications, but I keep in touch with both Alex [Smith] and Colin. I'd love to see Colin get another shot at playing, I love watching him play football. And I hope Alex can come back, too.”
Harbaugh, the current Michigan football coach, was not the coach when Kaepernick started a firestorm in the NFL when he decided to kneel during the national anthem to raise awareness for perceived social injustices. According to NBC Sports Bay Area, Harbaugh tweeted in 2016 he “didn’t respect the motivation or the action” of the protest, but later clarified he respected Kaepernick’s motivation just not the method.
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When Time magazine named Kaepernick one of the most influential people in 2017, Harbaugh wrote glowing praise of the former 49ers quarterback.
“I thank Colin for all he has contributed to the game of football as an outstanding player and trusted teammate,” Harbaugh wrote. “I also applaud Colin for the courage he has demonstrated in exercising his guaranteed right of free speech. His willingness to take a position at personal cost is now part of our American story. How lucky for us all and for our country to have among our citizens someone as remarkable as Colin Kaepernick.”
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Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since the 2016 season. In 12 games that year, he had 2,241 passing yards, 16 touchdown passes, and four interceptions.