Jim Harbaugh leaves Michigan to become head coach of the Chargers
Just weeks after winning a national title with Michigan, Jim Harbaugh is moving to the NFL, where he will take over the vacant job as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The door is open for Colin Kaepernick to return to the NFL. It would be a big reunion with his former coach Jim Harbaugh.
But here’s the catch: While 36-year-old Kaepernick recently told Sky Sports that he still wants to play in the NFL, the new coach of the Los Angeles Chargers claims that he would rather have his former quarterback back in the NFL as a member of his coaching staff – and not so much as a player.
“If he ever went down that path, I think that would be great,” Harbaugh told USA TODAY Sports. “He would be a great coach if he went down that path.”
In an interview after a practice last week, Harbaugh said he spoke with Kaepernick about joining the Chargers as a non-player shortly after his return to the NFL in January, but nothing has happened in the months since.
“Yeah, we talked about it a little bit,” Harbaugh said. “He’s thinking about it. He was out of the country. He said he would get back to me. We haven’t been in touch since. That was early, early this year.”
Perhaps Kaepernick’s reason for not contacting Harbaugh was made crystal clear by his comments to the London television station. He wants to resume his playing career despite the fact that it has been seven years since his last NFL game – apparently he was blacklisted by the league after he sparked protests by kneeling on the sidelines during the national anthem in 2016.
Kaepernick, who protested police brutality and the killing of unarmed black men, sued the NFL for collusion and agreed to an undisclosed settlement, but he never wavered from his position that he wanted to continue his playing career.
“We’re still training, still pushing hard,” Kaepernick told Sky Sports. “So hopefully. We just need to get one of these team owners to open up.”
Harbaugh has been one of Kaepernick’s biggest supporters over the years, even once organizing an open workout during a spring game at the University of Michigan when Kaepernick was seemingly banned from the NFL.
For all the latest news on and off the field, sign up for USA TODAY’s sports newsletter.
After all, their bond was built on success. Shortly after Harbaugh took over as coach of the San Francisco 49ers in 2011, Kaepernick began his six-year NFL career with the team as a second-round pick out of Nevada. In the 2012 season, they marched together to Super Bowl 47, where the 49ers narrowly lost to the Baltimore Ravens in the historic duel that pitted Jim against his brother John in the first Super Bowl coaching duel between brothers. The following season, the 49ers reached the NFC title game.
“He’s one of my favorite players I’ve ever coached,” Harbaugh said. “I love Colin.”
While Harbaugh has no qualms about bringing Kaepernick on as an assistant coach (or perhaps a consultant) to the Chargers staff, which already includes three former 49ers players who played under Harbaugh in San Francisco (NaVorro Bowman, Jonathan Goodwin and Will Tukuafu), he hasn’t discussed giving his former quarterback a chance to revive his playing career. Harbaugh declined to comment through a team spokesman this week when asked by USA TODAY Sports about Kaepernick’s desire to return to the team.
Of course, that’s the offer Kaepernick wants to hear.
“I mean, it’s something I’ve trained for my whole life,” Kaepernick told Sky Sports when asked what it would mean to play again. “So it would be a big moment, a big accomplishment for me to be able to get back on the field. I think it’s something I could bring a lot to a team and help them win a championship.”
If Kaepernick shows that his skills are still intact, the Chargers could certainly use him – as an option behind franchise quarterback Justin Herbert.
Herbert is currently recovering from a plantar fascia injury in his right foot and is expected to be fit for the opening game against the Raiders on Sept. 8. With the three other quarterbacks in camp vying for the backup positions – Easton Stick, Max Duggan and Luis Perez – under-proven or under-convincing, the timing to consider Kaepernick seems right.
That is, if Harbaugh really wanted to think outside the box and assess whether his former quarterback still has the skills to compete in a league with no shortage of mediocre backup quarterbacks.
No, Harbaugh’s noble idea of luring Kaepernick back to the NFL as a coach may not be enough.
Harbaugh stated that Kaepernick’s ignominious exit from the NFL – which the league should be ashamed of – would not be an issue for him if the quarterback decided to return as a coach. The Chargers coach is well aware of Kaepernick’s reputation as a civil rights activist and the respect he enjoys in much of society.
“I see him as a hero,” Harbaugh said. “Heroes don’t have days off. And he’s a hero right now and he doesn’t have days off. It’s not my job to decide which path he takes. That’s his decision.”
However, if Kaepernick is determined to try playing again before deciding whether to accept his former coach’s offer, Harbaugh also appears to be facing a difficult decision.
