Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh breaks silence on Colin Kaepernick job offer 

Colin Kaepernick has been out of the NFL since January 2017, which is when he last played a game in the league after he began kneeling on the sidelines during the national anthem in protest against police brutality.

For a while this week, it appeared Kaepernick would mount a comeback after a USA Today report claimed that his former head coach Jim Harbaugh had offered him a coaching job with the Los Angeles Chargers. Naturally, there was a lot of debate around Kaepernick's potential return and the former Niners quarterback also gave an interview with Sky Sports saying:

"We're still training, still pushing. So hopefully, we've just got to get one of these team owners to open up."

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However, it appears Kaepernick's comeback will likely end up as a pipe dream. Harbaugh told reporters after Thursday's practice that his former QB will not be on the Chargers coaching staff this year.

"I love Colin, but he's not going to be on the coaching staff, which is set for this year. And he's not going to be playing on the roster either." Harbaugh said, per ESPN.

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Colin Kaepernick to Chargers rumor stirs debate

The rumor about a potential job offer with the Chargers swiftly went viral and ESPN's First Take wasted no time debating the nuts and bolts of Kaepernick's comeback bid.

On Thursday, August 15, ESPN's Stephen A Smith said:

"Jim Harbaugh has major clout. He’s an elite football coach. He’s a reigning national champion at the University of Michigan and has now come back to the NFL after doing an outstanding job as an NFL coach with the San Francisco 49ers.

"Clearly the franchise is his in Los Angeles with the Chargers. If he has the power to bring [Colin Kaepernick] on as a coach, who’s to say that he’s going to be denied the opportunity to look at Kaepernick and say ‘You say you can still play, okay, Justin Herbert’s our quarterback."

Kaepernick outlined another potential avenue for a comeback, expressing an interest in suiting up for Team USA's Flag Football team at the 2028 Olympics. Kaepernick's wife Nessa also weighed in on his bid, saying:

"It would be amazing to see Colin at the upcoming Olympics."

All in all, Kaepernick played six seasons in the NFL, all of those with the San Francisco 49ers. He signed an initial four-year, $5.1 million deal with the franchise before signing a six-year, $114 million deal. Kaepernick's total career earnings were a reported $43.4 million, per Over The Cap.

He also bagged an additional $10 million in a settlement with the league after alleging that NFL owners had colluded to have him blackballed.