EL SEGUNDO, Calif.—If Colin Kaepernick wants to join the Los Angeles Chargers, it will not be until next year at the earliest.
And it would only be as a member of Jim Harbaugh’s coaching staff.
“I love Colin, but he’s not going to be on the coaching staff, which is set for this year. And he’s not going to be playing on the roster, either,” Harbaugh said after Thursday’s practice.
Harbaugh, who coached Kaepernick with the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 through ‘14, told USA Today Sports earlier this week that he reached out to Kaepernick about joining his Chargers’ staff shortly after being named coach on Jan. 24.
Harbaugh said on Thursday that it wasn’t the first time he has touched base with Kaepernick about the possibility of coaching, and that he mentioned it a couple times when he was the coach at the University of Michigan.
“I have thought that for a long time. Just the respect that I have for the football mind he has and the football man that he is,” Harbaugh said when asked what made him think Kaepernick would make a good coach. “[Late Raiders owner] Al Davis saw something in me that made him think I would be a good coach, and I see those same qualities in Colin. If it is something he chooses.”
Kaepernick, who turns 37 on Nov. 3, has not played in an NFL game since Jan. 1, 2017, after he began kneeling on the sideline during national anthems to protest social injustice and police brutality.
Kaepernick, who played six seasons with the 49ers after being a second-round pick in the 2011 draft, still has hopes of playing again. He told Britain’s “Sky Sports News” during the recent Paris Olympics that he is still training.
“It’s something I’ve trained my whole life for, so to be able to step back on the field, I think that would be a major moment, a major accomplishment for me,“ Kaepernick said. ”I think I could bring a lot to a team and help them win a championship.”
Kaepernick had a 29–16 record as a starter, including the playoffs, when Harbaugh was his coach. After Harbaugh left to go to Michigan, Kaepernick’s record was 3–17.
Kaepernick was the starting quarterback in Super Bowl 47 against Baltimore. He was 16 of 28 for 302 yards with a touchdown and also ran for a score in San Francisco’s 34–31 loss.
Harbaugh has three players he coached with the 49ers on his Chargers staff—NaVorro Bowman, Jonathan Goodwin, and Will Tukuafu. Mike Iupati and Delanie Walker, meanwhile, were coaching assistants during training camp, while Dashon Goldson is a coaching intern for the season.
Greg Roman, who was Kaepernick’s offensive coordinator in San Francisco from 2011 through ‘14, is also directing the Chargers’ offense.
