After the week-one injury of New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the team is in need of another player, and J. Cole hopes former San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick gets hired for the job.
In support of Kaepernick, Cole received permission from the athlete to post the letter he wrote to the Jets’ general manager, Joe Douglas, offering his services to the team. At the time of reporting, Kaepernick had not posted the letter on any of his social media accounts or commented about Cole regarding the matter.
The rap icon explained in his Instagram post, “I asked Colin if I could share this letter with the world. He was reluctant. My argument was that I believe the people and all organizations should know the truth about how hard he works and how much he still wants to play. And always has. In the end, he agreed to let me.”
In the note dated Sept. 21, the NFL veteran wrote to Douglas asking to lead the team’s practice squad, saying that he would be “honored and extremely grateful for the opportunity.” Kaepernick mentioned in the message that he has not stopped training and attached a list of references that included Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis, former 49ers coach and current Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, former 49ers coach and current UCLA head coach Chip Kelly, and Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.
There has been speculation about Kaepernick’s availability and interest since Rodgers’ injury. He has not played for another NFL team since he opted out of his contract with the 49ers in 2017 and offered himself up as a free agent. Helping out with the practice squad would allow the Jets to get a look at where Kaepernick is, football-wise, after the athlete’s six-year absence from the league following his protests of police brutality.
See the letter in full, courtesy of J. Cole, below.