Colin Kaepernick Wants to Play Flag Football for Team USA at 2028 Olympics

Tom Dierberger | Aug 14, 2024

Colin Kaepernick passes during halftime at the Michigan spring game at Michigan Stadium in 2022. / Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Colin Kaepernick is already looking ahead to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback said in a recent interview that he'd like to play flag football—a new Olympic sport that will debut in '28—for Team USA.

"Hopefully we'll be out there," Kaepernick told Sky Sports. "We're gonna work on some things, see if we can make it in there. But we'd love to be out there."

Flag football is one of a few sports that will join the mix in Los Angeles alongside T20 cricket, lacrosse (sixes), baseball, softball and squash. Games will be played in a five-on-five format on a 50-yard field that is 25 yards wide.

The 36-year-old Kaepernick hasn't appeared in an NFL game since 2016, his final year with San Francisco. In 69 career games (58 starts), Kaepernick threw for 12,271 yards, 72 touchdowns and 30 interceptions—adding up to a career 88.9 passer rating.

After departing the 49ers in 2016, Kaepernick went unsigned the next offseason. He filed a grievance against the NFL accusing owners of collusion to keep him out of the league because he knelt during the national anthem before games to protest police brutality and racial inequality in the United States.

Kaepernick has publicly expressed his interest in making a return to the NFL in recent years and even worked out with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022. He told Sky Sports that he would be still interested in playing in the NFL this season if an opportunity arose.

"It's something I've trained my whole life for," Kaepernick told Sky Sports about potentially returning to the NFL. "So, to be able to step back on the field, I think that would be a major moment, a major accomplishment for me. Also, I think it's something that I can bring a lot to a team and help them win a championship." 

For now, however, it appears Kaepernick will work toward earning a gold medal in flag football four years from now.