Colin Kaepernick says he's willing to be backup QB if an NFL team will give him shot at returning

Colin Kaepernick is serious about wanting to return to the NFL, and he's willing to be a backup quarterback if that's what it takes to get back into the league.

«I know I have to find my way back in,» Kaepernick told Brandon Marshall, Chad Johnson and Adam «Pacman» Jones in an interview with the «I Am Athlete» podcast. «So, yeah, if I have to come in as a backup, that fine. But that's not where I'm staying. And when I prove that I'm a starter, I want to be able to step on the field as such. I just need that opportunity to walk through the door.»

Kaepernick hasn't played in the NFL since 2016, the same season he began kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice. He said in the interview that if there was an aversion to signing him because of his protest, today's NFL should be more aligned with his views.

«You have 'End Racism' in the back of your end zone. You have 'Black Lives Matter' on your helmet. Everything I've said should be in alignment with what you're saying publicly,» he said. «It's a $16 billion business. When I first took a knee, my jersey went to No. 1. When I did the deal with Nike, their value increased by six billion dollars. Six billion. With a B.

»… So if you're talking about the business side, it shows [it's] beneficial. If you're talking about the playing side, come in, let me compete. You can evaluate me from there. The NFL's supposed to be a meritocracy. Come in, let me compete. If I'm not good enough, get rid of me. But let me come in and show you."

Kaepernick recently threw to undrafted receivers for NFL scouts at halftime of Michigan's spring game, at the invitation of Jim Harbaugh, his former San Francisco 49ers coach. In the interview with «I Am Athlete,» Kaepernick noted