Coach Jim Harbaugh’s overture to Colin Kaepernick to join his team, has stirred the pot in NFL circles, reigniting discussions about the former quarterback’s future in professional football. Stephen A. Smith in particular wanted to give his two cents on the matter.
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Harbaugh, now at the helm of the Los Angeles Chargers, has extended an invitation to Kaepernick, whom he coached during his 49ers days, to join his coaching staff. While Smith is totally on board with Kaepernick’s return to the league in a coaching capacity, he stated it’s time to end the conversation about his return as an active player on the Stephen A. Smith Show:
“If he wants to bring Colin Kaepernick there, cool. No problem. I think Colin Kaepernick would be a good coach. What I would say, however, is I don’t want to hear sh*t about him being a quarterback. That ship should have sailed.”
The QB and Harbaugh have been in talks about the coaching position since early this year, but he is yet to return back with an update. Harbaugh has also emphasized that if Kaepernick decides to join, it will only be in a coaching capacity and not as a player.
Kaepernick, though, still has ambitions to return to the league as a quarterback. Just two days ago, in a dialogue with Sky Sports, the former 49ers QB expressed his desire to play, and revealed that he’s still training and waiting for “one of these team owners to open up.”
With eight years having passed since Kaepernick’s last NFL appearance, Smith suggested that he should consider either embracing the coaching role that Harbaugh has so generously extended or exploring opportunities beyond football.
The analyst further Smith highlighted two key scenarios that could give the Spanos family, the team’s owners, pause about bringing Kaepernick on board.
Smith details potential hurdles in Kaepernick’s coaching career
First, Smith suggested that the owners might be concerned about Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem again, even as a coach. This controversial act, which Kaepernick used to protest racial injustice and police brutality, was a major factor in his exile from the NFL.
While he criticized the league for blackballing the quarterback for his stance during the Black Lives Matter movement, he suggested that the Chargers owners may fear a repeat of the backlash and media frenzy that surrounded Kaepernick’s protests.
Smith’s second scenario was even more intriguing but highly unlikely. He speculated that the Spanos family might worry about Harbaugh using Kaepernick as a backup quarterback if starting QB Justin Herbert sustains an injury.
This could be seen as a backdoor way to get Kaepernick back on the field as a player, something Smith believes the owners might be reluctant to allow. Despite these potential roadblocks, Smith urged the quarterback to take Harbaugh’s offer and begin his NFL journey anew.
