Colin Kaepernick has not given up hopes of a return to the NFL – despite his near-decade-long exile from the league.

The 37-year-old has not played a game since the 2016 season, when he sparked nationwide controversy after taking a knee during the national anthem.

The quarterback, who led the 49ers to the Super Bowl in February 2013, was last year offered a sensational second chance in the NFL – as a coach – by LA Chargers boss Jim Harbaugh.

But his partner, Nessa Diab, has revealed that Kaepernick is still training ‘all day, every day’ in the hope of playing under center once more.

In 2019, the quarterback settled a grievance with the NFL for an undisclosed amount after accusing owners of blackballing him in retaliation for his protests against police brutality and racial injustice.

‘Nothing has changed,’ Diab told TMZ, adding: ‘It’s all up to the teams if they’ll let him play.’

Colin Kaepernick has not given up hopes of a return to the NFL – despite not playing since 2016

Kaepernick sparked fierce debate after controversially kneeling during the national anthem  

Back in October, the quarterback-turned-tech entrepreneur revealed he has not tuned into an NFL game since the 2016 season.

‘I haven’t watched (an NFL) game in 8 years,’ Kaepernick said. The quarterback, who is involved with tech startup Lumi, insisted he does still watch college football.

‘I still check everybody’s (NFL) stats,’ he continued, as quoted by the New York Post. ‘It also informs who my agent reaches out to, but I still check the stats. I see what’s going on. 

‘I don’t ever turn a game on though, because I’m not gonna support in that way, but I need to keep my finger on the pulse of what’s happening with quarterbacks out there.’

Kaepernick reportedly showed a strong arm and solid conditioning at a 2022 workout with the Las Vegas Raiders but he was never added to the team’s roster.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell admitted in June of 2021 that the league should have listened to players’ concerns about racism sooner, adding that he encouraged teams to sign the former 49ers star.