Colin Kaepernick is waking up at 3:30am every morning to make sure he is still in NFL shape.
The 36-year-old quarterback has not played a down since his last appearance for the San Francisco 49ers in January 2017.
Kaepernick has been out of the NFL since the 2016 seasonGetty
He left the league after kneeling for the national anthem late in his NFL career – a move which sparked a wave of protests against systemic racism.
Kaepernick has been working as a social activist with his Know Your Rights Camp and Kaepernick Publishing company.
The signal-caller is desperate to return to the field but made an incredible revelation at the WSJ Tech Live Conference in California.
He says he has not watched an NFL game for eight years.
“I still check everybody’s stats,” Kaepernick told the Wall Street Journal’s Andrew Beaton during the conference.
“It also informs who my agent reaches out to, but I still check the stats. I see what’s going on.
“I don’t ever turn a game on though, because I’m not gonna support in that way, but I need to keep my finger on the pulse of what’s happening with quarterbacks out there.”
Kaepernick appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in early October.
He detailed the gruelling physical regime he still follows as he pursues another opportunity.
“I still wake up every morning and train,” Kaepernick explained.
Kaepernick made one Super Bowl appearance with the 49ersGetty
His national anthem protests sparked a nationwide debate
“I’ve had to adjust my schedule a little bit, which saying this out loud sounds a little bizarre, but I get up at 3:30am and I start my workday, and then I go do my training.
“I still train every day, I still train the way I was when I was playing, making sure that I’m ready at any given moment.”
Kaepernick has worked out with NFL teams since 2017 but not been offered a contract.
He raised a grievance against the league claiming owners were colluding to keep him out, which he settled in 2019.
Kaepernick believes he still has what it takes to lead a team to a Super Bowl after losing to Joe Flacco’s Baltimore Ravens in the 2013 finale.
“It’s something I’ve trained my whole life for, so to be able to step back on the field,” he told Sky Sports in August.
“I think that would be a major moment, a major accomplishment for me.
“I think I could bring a lot to a team and help them win a championship.”
Kaepernick has also suggested he would be interested in representing the United States in flag football at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
He racked up 12,271 passing yards and 72 touchdowns in his six-year career – adding 2,300 yards and 13 scores on the ground.
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