What Happened to Colin Kaepernick? The Quarterback Who Knelt
The Short Answer
Colin Kaepernick is 38 years old and has not taken an NFL snap in a decade. Born on November 3, 1987, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and raised in Turlock, California, he was the San Francisco 49ers' dynamic young quarterback — he took them to Super Bowl XLVII in 2013 and set an NFL rushing record for quarterbacks. Then, in August 2016, he began sitting — then kneeling — during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice. He opted out of his contract in 2017 and was never signed again.
Fans asking what happened to Colin Kaepernick know the broad strokes. The details — the collusion grievance, the Nike deal, the decade of training in exile — are the story of how a quarterback became a movement.
Who He Was: The 49ers' Phenom
Kaepernick was a second-round pick in 2011 who seized the starting job in 2012 and electrified the league: a cannon arm, 4.5 speed, and the iconic bicep-kiss celebration. He led San Francisco to the Super Bowl in just his tenth career start (losing to the Ravens) and to the NFC Championship the next year. At 25, he looked like the future of the position.
But by 2015-2016, injuries and coaching chaos had dimmed his on-field star — which made what happened next easier for the league to frame as a football decision rather than a political one.
What Happened: The Kneel and the Blackball
In August 2016, Kaepernick began protesting during the anthem, telling reporters: I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people. The gesture spread across sports — and ignited a firestorm. He was vilified by critics, lionized by activists, and, after opting out in March 2017, unsigned by all 32 teams despite quarterback play that statistically warranted a job.
In 2018 he filed a collusion grievance against the NFL, which settled confidentially in 2019. That same year, Nike made him the face of its Just Do It 30th anniversary campaign — Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything — a deal reportedly worth millions annually that made him more commercially powerful outside the league than in it.
Where He Is Now: Icon, Author, Still Training
Kaepernick remains unsigned at 38, though he stages periodic public workouts to prove he can still play. He founded the Know Your Rights Camp, published a memoir and a children's book, launched the Kaepernick Publishing company, and became a fixture of social justice philanthropy.
His 2019 settlement with the NFL included no admission of collusion, and the league's 2020 social-justice pivot — after George Floyd's murder — was widely seen as vindication. He is engaged to radio host Nessa Diab, his partner since 2015.
Personal Life
Adopted as an infant by Rick and Teresa Kaepernick, Colin has spoken about navigating identity as a biracial child in a white family — an experience he says shaped his activism. He and Nessa keep a low profile, focused on their foundation work.
He remains one of the most recognizable unsigned athletes in history — a quarterback frozen in time, training for a call that may never come.
Legacy
Love him or hate him, Kaepernick changed American sports: every anthem protest since 2016 exists in his shadow. What happened to Colin Kaepernick? He traded a career for a cause — and the cause outlasted the career.
The Nevada Phenom
Before the NFL, Kaepernick was a legend at the University of Nevada — the only player in college football history to pass for 10,000 yards and rush for 4,000 in a career. His 2010 Humanitarian Bowl performance remains one of the great bowl games ever played.
He was also a baseball prospect — drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2009 — but chose football, and the 49ers took him in the second round of the 2011 draft. His rare combination of arm strength and 4.5 speed made him the prototype for the modern dual-threat quarterback.
That athletic prime — the Super Bowl run at 25 — is what makes his exile so stark: he lost his career at the age most quarterbacks enter theirs.
The Nike Deal That Changed Everything
In September 2018, Nike made Kaepernick the face of its 30th-anniversary Just Do It campaign — Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. The ad, narrated by Kaepernick, showed athletes overcoming odds and became a cultural event: boycott threats, burning shoes, and a stock dip followed by record sales.
The deal reportedly pays Kaepernick millions annually — more than most NFL backup quarterbacks earn — and gave him a platform no team could offer. It also made him untouchable in a different way: no brand risk, all cultural cachet.
He has since starred in Netflix's Colin in Black & White series about his youth and remains Nike's most politically significant athlete-endorser.
Know Your Rights Camp and Publishing
Kaepernick's Know Your Rights Camp — free youth camps teaching self-empowerment, history and legal rights — has served thousands of kids in cities across America. The camps reflect his belief, shaped by his own adoption story, that knowledge is the prerequisite for liberation.
He founded Kaepernick Publishing to amplify Black and Brown voices, published the memoir I Color Myself Different (a children's book about his biracial identity), and continues to fund social-justice initiatives through his foundation.
His activism is institutional now — less protest, more infrastructure — which may be the more enduring legacy.
The Workout Saga and the NFL's Closed Door
In November 2019, the NFL arranged a private workout for Kaepernick in Atlanta — his first league-sanctioned audition in years. It collapsed into farce within hours: disputes over media access, liability waivers and transparency led Kaepernick's camp to move the workout to a high school field, where he threw for a handful of scouts while wearing a Kunta Kinte shirt.
The episode crystallized the standoff: the league wanted the appearance of opportunity without the risk of signing him; Kaepernick wanted a genuine process without the league controlling the narrative. Neither got what they wanted, and no team has signed him since.
Subsequent reporting — including the grievance settlement — suggested the league's interest was never serious. Coaches who privately praised his talent wouldn't touch him publicly; owners who claimed to support protest drew the line at employing the protester.
Kaepernick has said he still trains daily, still believes he can play, and still wants the chance. At 38, the window is nearly closed — but the principle never was: he sacrificed the career on purpose, and he has never asked for it back on anyone's terms but his own.
The Super Bowl Run: 2012-2013
The 2012 season was Colin Kaepernick's masterpiece. Taking over the 49ers mid-season from Alex Smith, he went 5-2 as a starter, then detonated the playoffs: 263 passing yards and 181 rushing yards (an NFL quarterback record) against Green Bay in the divisional round.
The 2013 NFC Championship in Atlanta — the comeback from 17-0 down — sent the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII. They lost to the Ravens 34-31 (the Harbaugh Bowl), but Kaepernick's 25-year-old brilliance was undeniable: the future of the position, all arm and legs.
The 2013 season brought another NFC title-game appearance. Then came the decline: injuries, coaching chaos, the 2016 protest — and exile. The Super Bowl run remains the what-if: the quarterback who reached the mountaintop at 25, then sacrificed the climb.
Colin Kaepernick: Milestones
1987: Born in Milwaukee; adopted and raised in California. 2010: Nevada legend — 10,000 passing / 4,000 rushing yards. 2011: Drafted by the 49ers (2nd round). 2013: Super Bowl XLVII. 2016: The kneel — anthem protests begin; season ends. 2017: Unsigned; grievance filed. 2018: Nike campaign — Believe in something. 2019: Grievance settled; the workout saga. 2020s: Know Your Rights Camp; publishing; activism as institution. Today: At 38, still training — the principle intact.
Know Your Rights: The Camps
Know Your Rights Camp — Kaepernick's free youth camps — is his activism's beating heart: day-long programs teaching Black and Brown kids their legal rights, their history, and their power. Thousands have attended in cities across America.
The camps' curriculum (the 10-point program: from the right to be free to the right to know your rights) reflects Kaepernick's belief that knowledge precedes liberation — the lesson of his own adoption story, institutionalized.
It's the quietest part of his legacy and maybe the most important: less protest, more infrastructure. The quarterback who sacrificed his career building the next generation's armor.
Frequently asked questions
What happened to Colin Kaepernick?
He has not played in the NFL since 2016 after his anthem protests; he settled a collusion grievance with the league, signed a major Nike deal, and became a civil rights activist.
How old is Colin Kaepernick?
Colin Kaepernick is 38 years old. He was born on November 3, 1987, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Why did Colin Kaepernick kneel?
To protest police brutality and racial injustice during the national anthem, beginning in August 2016.
Will Colin Kaepernick play in the NFL again?
He still trains and holds public workouts, but no team has signed him since 2017. At 38, a return looks unlikely.
Who is Colin Kaepernick engaged to?
Radio and TV host Nessa Diab, his partner since 2015.
Did Colin Kaepernick win a Super Bowl?
No — he led the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII in 2013 but lost to the Baltimore Ravens.
What is the Know Your Rights Camp?
Kaepernick's youth empowerment initiative, offering education on self-empowerment and legal rights.
Sources
- Colin Kaepernick - WikipediaWikipedia
- NFL - KaepernickNFL
- NPR - KaepernickNPR