Colin Kaepernick Has Message for New York Jets After Aaron Rodgers Injury

Aaron Rodgers will not be making an impact on the field with the New York Jets this season as he tore his Achilles tendon in the Monday Night Football game against the Buffalo Bills. Zach Wilson will take over as the starting quarterback, but it’s likely the Jets will sign another QB to add depth to the position. One veteran quarterback who is looking for work is Colin Kaepernick, who says he’s interested in joining the Jets. According to Jordan Schultz of The Athletic, Kaepernick’s agent reached out to the Jets about his desire to make a return to football. Schultz also shared a message Kaepernick sent him once he broke the news. 

“I just need a shot,” Kaepernick wrote. It would be a good story to see Kaepernick back in the NFL after not playing in six seasons, but it looks like the Jets are going in another direction when it comes to the quarterback position. According to Josina Anderson of CBS Sports, the Jets are not pursuing Kaepernick as they are looking for a guy who knows the system and/or staff and “fits the chemistry of Wilson being the guy.” 

Schultz also noted that Kaepernick is out on the West Coast training. Before the start of the 2022 season, Kaepernick had a workout with the Las Vegas Raiders but was never offered a contract. He spoke to Sports Illustrated earlier this year and explained why he didn’t sign with the Raiders. 

“I’ve heard a lot of excuses over the years,” Kaepernick said, “but most of the time it ends up, ‘Oh, we’re going to see how the guys that we have do.’ With the Raiders’ situation last year, that was [Jarrett] Stidham and Nick Mullens, which to me, you just compare résumés and capabilities, on top of the workout and the feedback, it’s like, ‘O.K., cool.’

“Obviously, there’s something else within this decision. To me, that’s typically what it ends up being, or has been for the last seven years. So, I just want the opportunity to come in, show what I can do on the field. Judge me based upon that, not the political bias that you have.”

Kaepernick, 35, played in the NFL from 2011-2016 and spent his entire career with the San Francisco 49ers. During the 2016 season, Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality in the country.