Let It Go, Man: Colin Kaepernick Still Pushing 'Every Day' to Make Triumphant NFL Return
There was once a Japanese imperial soldier who famously continued fighting World War II for nearly thirty years after his country had officially surrendered.
While former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick hasn’t quite matched that level of stubborn perseverance, it seems he's still determined to chase that mark.
Kaepernick’s longtime partner, radio personality Nessa Diab, recently signaled his continued ambitions in a street interview with TMZ Sports.
When asked whether Kaepernick is “still training” in hopes of returning to the league, Diab didn’t hesitate: “All day, every day,” she said with energy. “Nothing has changed.”
The interviewer followed up, asking, “Is he still wanting to play [in the NFL]?”
“Of course he is,” she replied. “It’s all up to the teams [and] if they’ll let him.”
Respectfully, that’s not quite the full picture.
The NFL is, by design, a merit-based system — perhaps excessively so, if you consider the volume of players still on rosters despite serious off-field issues.
And no, you can’t blame “MAGA” for Kaepernick’s absence either. Even former President Donald Trump has said that Kaepernick should get another shot if he “deserves it.”
As Trump alluded, it comes down to the player himself — now 37, approaching 38 — and whether or not he’s still capable of performing at a level expected of an NFL quarterback.
Based on all available evidence, it’s doubtful.
The last time Kaepernick suited up in a regular-season game, he was 29 and had been benched by the San Francisco 49ers in favor of journeyman Blaine Gabbert on a struggling 2-14 squad during the 2016 season.
That year, his numbers — 16 touchdowns to just 4 interceptions — were decent on paper. But his 59.2% completion rate lagged behind the league standard. In today’s NFL, teams expect quarterbacks to complete at least 60% of their passes, with many solid QBs hitting the mid-60s or better.
So if that was the last reliable sample — nearly a decade ago — why would any franchise expect improvement now, after eight years away from the game?
Yes, he may be training “all day, every day,” but relentless workouts can’t stop the ticking clock. In 2025, what team would realistically gamble on an aging, potentially subpar backup quarterback when so many younger, lower-profile options are available — ones who don’t come with the headlines or distractions that Kaepernick might bring (again, see: the TMZ interview).
And to be crystal clear, if Kaepernick were remotely close to the talent level of a Tom Brady, he’d already be on an NFL roster. The protests and public perception wouldn’t matter if the talent was there to justify the signing.
But he’s not Brady — not by a long shot. And it’s unreasonable to think his game has improved after being away from professional competition since Jan. 1, 2017.
It’s time to move on. The “comeback” narrative was already shaky several years ago. Today, it’s even harder to watch.
No matter how earnestly your partner speaks on your behalf, age, time, and diminishing skills are realities no pep talk can overcome.