Colin Kaepernick Is Willing to Return to the NFL as a Backup: 'I Know I Have to Find My Way Back in'

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Colin Kaepernick is speaking candidly about a potential NFL return.

While in conversation with I Am Athlete in one of his first on-camera interviews in years, the former football star, 34, opened up about how he wants to play in the NFL again while sitting down with fellow former players Chad Johnson, Adam "Pacman" Jones and Brandon Marshall.

When Marshall, 38, asked Kaepernick his thoughts on taking on a role similar to one Carmelo Anthony took in the NBA, where he played with a team in a smaller capacity, the activist said he is willing to do the same and would then be ready to get back on his team in a better position.

"I know I have to find my way back in. So if I have to come in as a backup, that's fine," Kaepernick said. "But that's not where I'm staying. And when I prove that I'm a starter, I want to be able to step on the field as such."

Added Kaepernick: "I just need that opportunity to walk through the door."

RELATED: Colin Kaepernick's Trainer Says Multiple NFL Teams Have Reached Out with Interest in Quarterback

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During the 2016 season, Kaepernick began kneeling while the national anthem played at the beginning of each game to protest racial injustice, police brutality and systemic oppression.

The year following his polarizing protests, Kaepernick opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers. Since then, he has been unable to sign with any NFL team.

Kaepernick and fellow athlete and protester Eric Reid filed grievances with the league in October 2017 that accused owners of colluding to prevent him from signing with a team. The pair settled with the league in February 2019.

Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Colin Kaepernick

Recently, David Robinson, a trainer who has worked with Kaepernick, said that multiple NFL teams have reached out to him with interest in the former quarterback. He told TMZ that "at least" five NFL teams have reached out in the wake of a training session he held with Kaepernick earlier in March 2021. "A few teams have ... asked how his arm looked," Robinson claimed. "They have reached out and asked about him."

He also confirmed that Kaepernick is still in playing shape (which the athlete has affirmed several times on social media), telling the outlet, "He definitely has the ability to play on somebody's roster — like, right now."

Added Robinson, "Like, a couple of the guys that were in the session that were on NFL teams were saying that his arm is just as strong as guys' that we got on our roster right now and can play."

RELATED VIDEO: Tommie Smith on Why the 'Sacrifice' Colin Kaepernick Made by Taking a Knee Was So Important

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In an interview with Ebony in October 2021, Kaepernick echoed similar sentiments and said he is "absolutely" ready to return to the NFL should he get signed to a team in the league.

"I am still up at 5 a.m. training five, six days a week making sure I'm prepared to take a team to a Super Bowl again," Kaepernick told The View co-host Sunny Hostin, who wrote the cover story. "That's not something I will ever let go of, regardless of the actions of 32 teams and their partners to deny me employment."