Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers (Image: Getty)
Colin Kaepernick returned to the football field this weekend.
Though he hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016, he made a surprise appearance at a charity flag football game held by Quavo, one-third of the hip-hop group Migos.
For the second year in a row, Quavo has hosted a celebrity flag football game to raise money for charity. Kaepernick showed up, along with several other famous names, including Cam Newton, Julio Jones, Von Miller, Alvin Kamara, Eric Reid, Josh Norman and Ric Flair.
Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!
A week of sports news in your in-box.
We find the sports news you need to know, so you don't have to.
Despite not throwing a pass since the end of a disappointing regular season with the San Francisco 49ers in 2016, Kaepernick’s arm still looked strong. He nailed New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley for a red zone touchdown. Barkley spent the 2018 season catching passes from Eli Manning, who seemed to lack the ability to throw the ball more than 20 yards down the field on certain drives.
The No. 2 overall draft pick in 2018 was excited to play with Kaepernick.
“I came up to him and told him, ‘I don’t mean to come off as a fan, but I’m a big fan and I respect everything that you did,” Barkley said.
30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW
Kamara was also glad the quarterback showed up. “That was huge for him to be able to come out here and just support,” he said of Kaepernick.
Kaepernick became a national subject of debate after he protested social injustice and racial inequality by kneeling during the national anthem in 2016. After the season, the 49ers refused to re-sign him and he hasn’t returned the NFL since March 2017. Eventually, he filed a collusion case against the NFL and settled for less than $10 million in February.
While on the field, Kaepernick was sure to communicate with his teammates and hear them out. However, after the game, he declined all interview opportunities.
Sophie Cunningham's now-famous 22-second stare-down with DeWanna Bonner has spawned one of the WNBA's biggest…
Syracuse opened the 2025 season 3–1, highlighted by a victory at Clemson. The win marked…
ESPN is cutting staff across the network for the first time in three years, with…
Bryson DeChambeau's turbulent week at the Open Championship took an unexpected political twist after he…
Soccer's global governing body has launched a formal disciplinary review of Argentina's national team following…
LIV Golf's rocky financial year got rockier this week after a broadcast technology partner took…