Giants Weigh 38-Year-Old Colin Kaepernick as Jaxson Dart Faces Rest of 2026 Season

Q: Is Kaepernick's potential NFL return a genuine football strategy or just clever timing with his new memoir release?

It is both, but the football case is real enough that it cannot be dismissed as pure publicity. The Giants have an actual quarterback problem. With Jaxson Dart’s injury potentially season-ending and Jameis Winston elevated to starter, New York’s depth is thin. In that context, Kaepernick’s name is not surfacing in a vacuum. He is a free agent, says he is still training, and the Giants have staff ties that make the idea more plausible than a random late-career flier. John Harbaugh has spoken positively about wanting him in 2017, and Greg Roman knows exactly how to build an offense around his skill set. That said, the skepticism is also justified. Kaepernick is 38, has not played in an NFL game since 2016, and his closest recent shot — a 2022 Raiders workout — did not produce a contract. At that age, after nearly a decade away, any comeback argument is speculative until he actually throws for a team. The timing clearly helps his memoir campaign. He is doing more interviews because of the book release, and that naturally puts his NFL hopes back into headlines. But the renewed Giants angle is not manufactured out of nothing; it is being driven by a genuine roster need and credible coaching connections. So the fairest answer is this: the publicity is real, but so is the football rationale. If the Giants are serious, the simplest test is a workout. That would quickly show whether this is a viable emergency option or just a timely conversation.

3 articles · Updated · NBC Sports · Sep 23

John Harbaugh is being pressed to give Colin Kaepernick at least a workout as the Giants scramble for quarterback depth with Jaxson Dart potentially out for the rest of 2026.
Kaepernick, now 38, says he is still in shape and wants to play, but he has not appeared in an NFL game since 2016 and has had only one known workout — with the Raiders five years ago.
Harbaugh recently said he wanted to sign Kaepernick to the Ravens in 2017, a notable endorsement as New York weighs options behind new starter Jameis Winston.
Greg Roman's presence on the Giants staff adds a possible schematic fit, since he coordinated Kaepernick's first four seasons in San Francisco, though any path would likely begin and end with a tryout.