Colin Kaepernick gets honest about NFL return and issues update on training for new season

Colin Kaepernick has insisted he's still willing to return to the NFL, despite having been out of the league since 2016 after settling a collusion grievance.

The quarterback has been linked with a number of different teams since he became a free agent in 2016. Kaepernick became a free agent after leaving the San Francisco 49ers, but many feel he still had something to offer in the NFL.

He has reportedly worked out for multiple teams during his free agency, while also settling a grievance he filed against the NFL for a reported $10million. But after kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality, Kaepernick alleged he had been blackballed and that teams were colluding to keep him out of the league.

Despite being unable to secure a team since settling the agreement four years ago, Kaepernick has now insisted he's still in shape and training frequently while he hopes for a second chance.

He said: "My focus is always on what I can do moving forward. What can I do to change my present and my future? So training at 4:30am to be able to have the opportunity to make a [NFL] comeback? Absolutely. That's something I do five days a week still."

Kaepernick reached an agreement with the NFL in 2019 to end the grievance filed against them, and a few months later all 32 teams were invited to a private workout with Kaepernick, though it was cancelled a few hours before due to security fears.

Colin Kaepernick is still hoping for another chance in the NFL (GETTY)

While he then held a workout with seven teams, none chose to sign him, despite him then holding another workout with the Las Vegas Raiders last May.

The 35-year-old has reportedly held talks with the XFL over joining the league as a quarterback, but it has been claimed his salary demands were too extortionate for Dwayne Johnson's start-up to afford.

It was reported in 2019 that Kaepernick had held talks with the XFL - then owned by WWE billionaire Vince McMahon - but had demanded a salary in the region of $20m annually, compared to the starting salary of $250,000 per-year that most XFL quarterbacks received.