How Long Colin Kaepernick Was in the NFL

We all know how talented Colin Kaepernick is, but how long was he actually in the NFL? We take a look at his career stats to find out.

Introduction

Colin Kaepernick is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He played college football for the University of Nevada, and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. While with the 49ers, Kaepernick began to kneel during the National Anthem as a way of protesting racial injustice and police brutality. After opting out of his contract with the 49ers in 2017, he has not been signed by another team, leading some to believe that he has been blackballed by the NFL.

Colin Kaepernick’s NFL Career

Colin Kaepernick was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He became the starting quarterback in 2012 and helped the 49ers reach the Super Bowl that year. He remained the starting quarterback for the next two seasons but was released by the 49ers in 2016. He has not been signed by another team since then.

Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers

Kaepernick was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he mostly served as a backup to starting quarterback Alex Smith, but saw significant playing time late in the season and led the 49ers to a playoff berth. In 2012, his first full season as a starter, Kaepernick helped the 49ers reach Super Bowl XLVII, where they lost to the Baltimore Ravens 34-31. In 2013, he led the 49ers to their first NFC Championship Game appearance since 1997 and their first NFC West division title since 2002. Although he struggled early in the 2014 season as the 49ers began to experience organizational turmoil (including firing head coach Jim Harbaugh), he still started every game and led them back to the NFC Championship Game for a third straight year. In 2015, Kaepernick’s play declined noticeably as he threw just 10 touchdown passes compared to nine interceptions; he was benched during the middle of that season in favor of backup Blaine Gabbert but regained his starting job near the end of the year.

Starting quarterback for the 49ers

Colin Kaepernick was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft. He served as the backup to Alex Smith for most of his rookie season, but took over as the starter midway through the season after Smith suffered a concussion. He started the final seven games of the season and led the 49ers to a playoff berth. In 2012, he continued to start for the 49ers, leading them to Super Bowl XLVII.

Kaepernick remained the 49ers’ starting quarterback for the 2013 season, but his performance was plagued by turnovers and he was eventually replaced by Blaine Gabbert midway through the season. He regained his starting job late in the season, but was unable to prevent the 49ers from missing the playoffs.

Kaepernick’s 2014 season was disappointing, as he struggled with Accuracy, decision-making, and threw just 10 touchdown passes compared to 9 interceptions. He lost his starting job to Gabbert once again and was inactive for most of 2015 before being released by the team in 2016. He has not been signed by another team since then and his career appears to be over.

2016 season

Kaepernick began the 2016 season as the back-up to Blaine Gabbert, but was named the starter in Week 6. In Week 11, he had a career-high passing yards of 398 in a losing effort against the Arizona Cardinals. He would finish the season with 2,241 passing yards, 16 passing touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. He also rushed for 468 yards and two touchdowns.

2017 season

Colin Kaepernick chose to opt out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers on March 3, 2017, making him a free agent at the start of the 2017 league year. He had originally signed a six-year contract with the 49ers in 2014. In the 2016 season, Kaepernick began to kneel during the playing of the United States national anthem as a way of protesting racial inequality and police brutality.

Kaepernick’s Post-NFL Career

It’s been three years since Colin Kaepernick was in the NFL. In that time, he’s been a Nike pitchman, a social activist, and a free agent quarterback. Kaepernick’s career took a turn in 2016 when he began kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice. Now, he’s out of the NFL and looking for his next team.

Free agent

Since leaving the 49ers in early 2017, quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been a free agent, without a team to call his own. He led San Francisco to the Super Bowl in 2013, but has not played since 2016. In the intervening period, he has become a political lightning rod for his decision to kneel during the National Anthem to protest racial injustice.

National anthem protests

During the 2016 NFL season, Kaepernick, then a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, began kneeling during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” in protest of police brutality and racial inequality. His actions prompted a nationwide debate about patriotism and respect for the American flag.

Kaepernick became a free agent after the 2016 season, but no team signed him to a contract. He filed a grievance against the NFL in 2017, alleging that owners had colluded to keep him out of the league because of his protests. The grievance was settled out of court in 2019.

Since leaving the NFL, Kaepernick has become an outspoken advocate for social justice. He has donated millions of dollars to various charitable causes and has started his own nonprofit organization, Know Your Rights Camp, which aims to “empower youth through education.”

Reactions to protests

Colin Kaepernick, former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, continues to be a controversial public figure even after leaving the NFL. During his time with the 49ers, Kaepernick kneeled during the playing of the national anthem as a way to protest police brutality and racial injustice. These protests sparked a nationwide debate, with many people both praising and condemning Kaepernick’s actions.

After leaving the NFL, Kaepernick has remained active in social justice causes. He has donated money to various organizations working to combat police brutality and racism, and he has also started his own charity aimed at helping underserved communities. In 2020, he was named one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People.”

Conclusion

After going undrafted in the 2009 NFL Draft, Kaepernick was signed by the San Francisco 49ers. He became their starting quarterback in 2012 and led the team to Super Bowl XLVII, where they lost to the Baltimore Ravens. Kaepernick recorded the second-most rushing yards (1,133) by a quarterback that season. In 2013, he helped lead the 49ers back to the NFC Championship game. In 2014, he led the NFL in rushing yards (1,639) and touchdowns (10), and was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player by ESPN. After opting out of his contract with the 49ers in 2017, Kaepernick has been a free agent ever since.