Colin Kaepernick, over 6 years removed from NFL, vows to keep pursuing return in face of 'political bias'

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It has been more than six years since Colin Kaepernick last played in the NFL, but the quarterback is staying in shape in case a team comes calling. 

Kaepernick told Sports Illustrated he still trains five to six days a week, though the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback did not have any workouts scheduled with a team as of early June. 

Colin Kaepernick attends the NBA game between the Toronto Raptors and the Boston Celtics at Scotiabank Arena on Dec. 5, 2022 in Toronto. (Cole Burston/Getty Images)

"I’m going to keep pushing," Kaepernick told SI. "I’m going to keep fighting for it because I know I can step on the field and play. Every workout, every opportunity I’ve had to show that, the feedback has always been positive. Everything from, ‘He’s still an elite player,’ to ‘The workout was great; it was better than expected.’"

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"When I had my workout with the Raiders last year, even training with guys, there’s a decent amount of people who may have forgotten what I was capable of doing on the field, so any chance to be able to remind people of what I can do out there, I look forward to and embrace, and I look forward to the day that I get to step on the field and show people what I can do."

Kaepernick last played in the NFL during the 2016 season, the year he began kneeling during the national anthem to protest what he said were racial injustices in the U.S. 

In May 2022, the Las Vegas Raiders brought Kaepernick in for a workout, where he reportedly impressed. 

Colin Kaepernick participates in a throwing exhibition during halftime of the Michigan spring football game at Michigan Stadium on April 2, 2022 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Jaime Crawford/Getty Images)

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Las Vegas ultimately decided against signing him, choosing instead to keep Jarrett Stidham as Derek Carr’s backup.  

"I’ve heard a lot of excuses over the years," Kaepernick told SI when discussing not being signed by the Raiders, "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 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."

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Since last playing in the NFL, Kaepernick has been active off the field, founding Kaepernick Publishing and starring in the Netflix series "Colin in Black and White," which compared the NFL Combine to a slave auction.

Colin Kaepernick participates in a throwing exhibition during halftime of the Michigan spring football game at Michigan Stadium on April 2, 2022 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Jaime Crawford/Getty Images)

In a recent interview with NPR, Kaepernick was asked whether he thought the NFL had "changed for the better" since he last played a football game in January 2017.

"I haven't seen any substantial change," Kaepernick said. "I think there is a lot of work to do on that front. Obviously, not playing and being out of the NFL for six years is an indictment on where they are currently at. So I wouldn't put them at the forefront of goodwill and best of intentions in how they operate."

Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.