Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick has sent the struggling New York Jets a letter in which he offers his services.
The rapper J Cole posted a letter written by Kaepernick to Jets general manager Joe Douglas on Instagram. In the letter, Kaepernick claims he would be “honored” to join the team and “lead the practice squad” with “the sole mission of getting your defense ready each week.”
The New York Jets, who fell to the New England Patriots on Sunday to fall to 1-2 on the season, were forced to start Zach Wilson as their starting quarterback after Aaron Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the team’s first game of the year. Wilson has struggled in the position.
“I am sure of my ability to provide you with an elite QB option if, God forbid, QB1 goes down,” Kaepernick wrote. “However, I know that there may naturally be uncertainties from you and possibly from others about my playing abilities.
“This plan, I believe, allows me to be of great service to the team as a practice squad QB, while also giving you a low-commitment chance to assess my capabilities to help in any other capacity you may see fit.
“Worst case scenario, you see what I have to offer and you’re not that impressed. Best case scenario, you realize you have a real weapon at your disposal in the event you ever need to use it. In either of these scenarios, I would be committed to getting your defense ready week in and week out, all season long, and I would wear that responsibility like a badge of honor.”
Wilson, the former No. 2 overall pick in 2021, has had difficulty in his two seasons with the Jets, which was a major factor in Rodgers’ offseason purchase.
Wilson has continued to demonstrate why he was benched in favor of Rodgers ever since he was thrown back into the starting lineup. Wilson seemed confused and out of sorts when the Jets lost to the Dallas Cowboys and the Patriots after he managed to guide the squad to a victory over the Buffalo Bills in the first week.
It has prompted calls for the organization to consider alternative quarterback options, with Joe Namath—the only quarterback to have won a Super Bowl with the Jets—becoming the most recent to do so.
“I wouldn’t keep him,” Namath said on The Michael Kay Show on 98.7 ESPN New York. “I’ve seen enough of Zach Wilson. All right? I’ve seen enough.”
In an effort to provide depth at the position, the Jets signed veteran quarterback Trevor Siemian to the practice squad on Tuesday.
However, there are still concerns about Wilson’s ability to lead a team with postseason aspirations indefinitely, and Kaepernick has stated that he is willing to fill the hole.
The 35-year-old claimed that by joining the practice squad, he would give the team’s defense a better chance to get ready for a mobile quarterback and permit team management to assess Kaepernick’s skills without placing Wilson under undue pressure.
Since 2016, Kaepernick hasn’t participated in an NFL game due to the controversy surrounding his decision to sit during the playing of the national anthem before games in order to protest racial inequality and police brutality while playing for the San Francisco 49ers.
When Kaepernick chose to opt out of his contract with the 49ers in March 2017, he became a free agent; however, no NFL team signed him. He complained to the NFL in October 2017 and claimed that teams were conspiring to fire him.
In 2019, the quarterback and the NFL reached a resolution.
In the letter, he responded to the query on his protracted absence from the NFL by stating that he has continued to be prepared.
In his letter, Kaepernick also included recommendations for Douglas, including Mark Davis, the owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, and two of his former head coaches with the San Francisco 49ers, Jim Harbaugh and Chip Kelly.
