Colin Kaepernick Deserves NFL Opportunity, Kurt Warner Says

With Tim Tebow looking to make a return to the NFL, the debate about Colin Kaepernick has started back up again. And one legendary NFL player thinks that the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback should get another chance to play despite being away from the league for nearly five years. TMZ recently caught up with Kurt Warner and was asked if Kaepernick deserves a shot of being on an NFL roster.

"I do," the Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback said. "I think that he should have an opportunity." In 2016, Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem as he was protesting police brutality and racial injustice. When he opted out of his contract at the end of the year, Kaepernick didn't sign with a new team and has remained a free agent. Kaepernick believed he was being blackballed by the NFL for protesting, leading to the NFL inviting him to a tryout in front of all 32 teams. Kaepernick backed out of the tryout, which was set to be taken place at the Atlanta Falcons training facility. Instead, he had his own tryout at an Atlanta-area high school.

"When he got out of the game," Warner said, "he was as good as a lot of quarterbacks in this league. And, that's the bottom line." In Kaepernick's last season in the NFL, He completed 59.2% of his passes while throwing for 2,241 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions with a 90.7 passer rating in 12 games with 11 starts. With Kaepernick as the starter, the 49ers won only one game. However, in 2012, Kaepernick led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance after taking over for Alex Smith. In the Super Bowl, Kaepernick ran for a touchdown and threw for a touchdown in a 34-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Kaepernick has continued to train ever since the end of the 2016 season. And while some teams have shown interest Kaepernick is still on the market. As for Tebow, it was reported he was expected to sign a contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but it hasn't happened just yet. Tebow played quarterback in his first stint in the NFL but will play tight end if he is signed. And even if Tebow becomes a member of the Jaguars, he will still need to make the initial 53-man roster, which will be set before the start of the season.