Colin Kaepernick is reflecting on his NFL career, saying he believes he still had plenty left to accomplish before it ended.
On Men’s Health’s Strong Talk podcast, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback discussed how he views his football career years after his final NFL season. “If I’d played another 10 years, at this point we’d have at least a Super Bowl under our belt,” Kaepernick said.
Former Quarterback Says His Development Was Cut Short
Kaepernick stated that he is proud of his accomplishments, but he believes his career ended before he had the chance to fully develop as a quarterback. “I would say looking back at the career I had thus far, I think there were areas that we were exceptional at, but there’s also always areas that you’re like, ‘oh, I can get better here, I can get better there,'” he said.
“I was so early in my career when it came to an end, I don’t think I got to fully develop the way that I wanted to.”
He also noted that the final years of his career brought significant organizational changes, including multiple coaching changes and offensive systems.
Injuries and Coaching Changes Played a Role
Kaepernick pointed to the challenges he faced during his final seasons with the 49ers, including playing under two different head coaches and two offensive coordinators while recovering from multiple injuries.
According to Kaepernick, he suffered three injuries during that stretch but believes his performance steadily improved as he regained his health.
“Now, let’s say the end of the 2016 season with Chip Kelly, as I was getting healthier, you can see the trajectory of our stat line, and that got better and better and better that final season, which became comparable to what we were doing in 2012,” he said.
Despite the abrupt end to his playing career, Kaepernick said he looks back on his time in the NFL with pride while believing “so much more opportunity” was left on the table.