Harbaugh says Kaepernick will not be a player or coach with the Chargers this season

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — If Colin Kaepernick wants to join the Los Angeles Chargers, it will not be until next year at the earliest.

And it will only be as a member of Jim Harbaugh’s coaching staff.

“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 after Thursday’s practice.

Harbaugh — who coached Kaepernick in San Francisco from 2011 through ’14 — told USA Today Sports earlier this week that he reached out to Kaepernick about joining his Chargers’ staff shortly after being named coach on Jan. 24.

Harbaugh said on Thursday that it wasn’t the first time he has touched base with Kaepernick about coaching, and that he mentioned it a couple times when he was the coach at Michigan.

“I have thought that for a long time. Just the respect that I have for the football mind he has and the football man that he is,” said Harbaugh when asked what made him think Kaepernick would make a good coach. “(Late Raiders owner) Al Davis saw something in me that made him think I would be a good coach, and I see those same qualities in Colin. If it is something he chooses.”

Kaepernick, who turns 37 on Nov. 3, has not played in an NFL game since Jan. 1, 2017, after he began kneeling on the sideline at games during the national anthem to protest social injustice and police brutality.

Kaepernick — who played six seasons with San Francisco after being a second-round pick in 2011 — still has hopes though of playing again. He told Britain’s “Sky Sports News” during the recent Paris Olympics that he is still training.

“It’s something I’ve trained my whole life for, so to be able to step back on the field, I think that would be a major moment, a major accomplishment for me,” Kaepernick said. “I think I could bring a lot to a team and help them win a championship.”

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Kaepernick had a 29-16 record as a starter, including the playoffs, when Harbaugh was his coach. After Harbaugh left to go to Michigan, Kaepernick’s record was 3-17.

Kaepernick was the starting QB in Super Bowl 47 against Baltimore. He was 16 of 28 for 302 yards with a touchdown and also ran for a score in San Francisco’s 34-31 loss.

Harbaugh has three players he coached in San Francisco on his Chargers staff — NaVorro Bowman, Jonathan Goodwin and Will Tukuafu. Mike Iupati and Delanie Walker were coaching assistants during training camp while Dashon Goldson is a coaching intern for the season.

Greg Roman, who was Kaepernick’s offensive coordinator in San Francisco from 2011 through ‘14, is also directing the Chargers’ offense.