After Jim Harbaugh became head coach of the Chargers, we raised the question of whether the former 49ers head coach would offer former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick a job on the coaching staff.
Some weirdly ignored the facts and opted instead to use that question as grist for the outrage/outrage-in-response-to-the-outrage media mill. However, Harbaugh’s comments from Wednesday show that, unlike many of the questions I ask, this one wasn’t stupid.
And it also wasn’t something that I pulled out of my rear end. When the Vikings considered hiring Harbaugh in early 2022, the possibility of offering Kaepernick a spot on the coaching staff had been raised.
Harbaugh’s latest remarks, which came one day after recent quotes from Kaepernick about playing in the NFL again drew widespread attention, carry another strong message.
The one guy who would be inclined to offer Kaepernick a roster spot won’t be.
Harbaugh has championed Kaepernick for years. When the collusion against Kaepernick commenced, Harbaugh said a team can win championships — with an “s” — with Kaepernick. More recently, Harbaugh gave Kaepernick a workout platform during a Michigan spring game.
Now that Harbaugh could potentially give Kaepernick a job as a player, the conversation has pivoted to possibly giving him a job as a coach.
It means, necessarily, that Harbaugh isn’t interested in adding Harbaugh to the roster. If Harbaugh isn’t, there’s no way anyone else would be.
