Colin Kaepernick (born November 3, 1987) is a former football quarterback and civil rights activist in the United States. In the National Football League, he spent six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers (NFL). In 2016, he protested police brutality and racial inequity in the United States by kneeling during the national anthem at the opening of NFL games.
Colin Kaepernick Early Life
Kaepernick was largely raised by his adoptive parents in Turlock, California. He was a multisport athlete at Pitman High School, where he excelled in football, basketball, and baseball. He received a football scholarship to the University of Nevada, and during his freshman season, he was named the team’s starting quarterback.
Kaepernick was awarded the Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year in both 2008 and 2010. He was a prolific passer who could also carry the ball. The 49ers took him in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
Colin Kaepernick Career
In his NFL career, which began as a second-round pick out of Nevada in 2011, Kaepernick has appeared in 69 games. In the 2013 season, he took over as the 49ers’ starting quarterback and guided the team to a Super Bowl appearance, where they were defeated by the Baltimore Ravens in the last seconds of the game. Jim Harbaugh, the current head coach of Michigan, coached that 49ers team.
In his career, Kaepernick has completed 59.8% of his 1,692 throw attempts for 72 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. In his six-year career, he’s passed for over 12,000 yards, but he hasn’t played with a team in over five years.
During his rookie season in the NFL, Kaepernick only played in three games. However, in week 10 of the 2012 season, the 49ers’ starting quarterback, Alex Smith, suffered a concussion. Jim Harbaugh, the team’s head coach, chose Kaepernick to fill the void.
The 49ers finished the regular season with an 11–4–1 record and progressed to the Super Bowl for the first time in 18 years, thanks to quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who stands 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 metres) and weighs 225 pounds (102-kg). Despite Kaepernick’s 302 passing yards and 62 rushing yards, the 49ers fell to the Baltimore Ravens 34–31.
Kaepernick coached the 49ers to a 12–4 regular-season record in 2013. The club, however, fell short in the playoffs, losing in the National Football Conference championship game against the Seattle Seahawks. Kaepernick recorded career highs with 3,369 passing yards and 639 rushing yards the next season, despite the 49ers’ 8–8 record. Harbaugh was fired by the 49ers after the 2014 season.
Kaepernick’s performance dropped under Harbaugh’s successor, former defensive line coach Jim Tomsula. He was replaced in the starting lineup by Blaine Gabbert midway through the 2015 season, and he later suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.
Kaepernick began his protests during the 2016 NFL preseason, first by sitting during the playing of the national anthem and then by kneeling while the song was played. “I will not rise to exhibit pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black and other people of colour.” “This is larger than football for me,” Kaepernick said at the time.
Soon after, safety Eric Reid, one of his teammates, joined him in kneeling. Other NFL players, as well as sportsmen from other sports, imitated their acts as the 2016 season progressed.
Colin Kaepernick Protested Against Inequity
Before the 2016 season, Colin Kaepernick sat during the national anthem before 49ers preseason games, but no one noticed until San Francisco beat journalist Jennifer Lee Chan snapped the now-famous photo that started it all.
During the national anthem ceremony, Kaepernick can be seen sitting on a sideline bench. The photo went popular on social media the next day, and it was picked up by local and national news sources.
His justification for his behaviour was straightforward: he was protesting racial inequity and the mistreatment of African-Americans in the United States.
For his efforts to raise awareness of racial inequality and discrimination, Kaepernick has received numerous awards, including Sports Illustrated’s Muhammad Ali Legacy Award (2017) and Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award (2018). In July 2020, Kaepernick struck an agreement with the Disney Company to collaborate on documentaries and other social justice-related projects.
Colin Kaepernick Is Set to Work Out for NFL Scouts to Comeback in 2022
Colin Kaepernick hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016, but he plans to return in 2022 as a civil rights activist and former 49ers quarterback. Not only that, but the 34-year-old has apparently been contacted by a few NFL teams, and now Kaepernick is set to throw in front of scouts at Michigan’s spring game during halftime.
That’s not even taking into account Kaepernick the player, who was a dual threat early in his career but mostly served as a backup in his latter seasons. If he returns, it will almost certainly be as a competitor for a No. 2 or No. 3 position.
With that in mind, here are eight teams that could be interested in signing Kaepernick this offseason:
- Packers
- 49ers
- Panthers
- Eagles
- Titans
- Ravens
- Seahawks
- Chiefs
Colin Kaepernick Net Worth
Colin Kaepernick is a social activist and American football player with a net worth of $20 million. Colin earned a little more than $43 million in pay over his six seasons in the NFL, from 2011 to 2016. (before taxes and fees). During the 2016 season, his highest NFL salary was $14.3 million.
He is also a political and civil rights activist who is best known for kneeling during the national anthem at NFL games to protest police brutality and racial inequity in the United States.
Contract with Nike
Colin’s first Nike endorsement contract was struck in 2011. Many speculated that Nike did not renew Colin’s contract when he was left without a team in 2017. On the 30th anniversary of Nike‘s “Just Do It” campaign, the firm created an ad campaign in 2018. The ad featured Kaepernick with the tagline “Believe in Yourself.” “Something to believe in. Even if it means putting everything on the line.”
Nike, it turned out, had been backing Colin all along and had eventually announced him as a brand ambassador. According to Yahoo NFL reporter Charles Robinson, Nike is still paying Colin a deal comparable to that of current star NFL players, with millions of dollars per year in royalties on a Kaepernick-branded merchandise line.
Conclusion
Colin Kaepernick, full name Colin Rand Kaepernick, (born November 3, 1987, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States), is an American quarterback and social activist who played for the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL from 2011 to 2016, but is best known for kneeling during the national anthem before games to protest racial injustice and police brutality against African Americans.