Tom Brady hopes Colin Kaepernick ‘gets a shot’ in the NFL

Tom Brady has joined the growing number of players who believe Colin Kaepernick is still qualified to play in the NFL.

In an interview with CBS This Morning, Brady told Norah O’Donnell that he hopes Kaepernick gets another chance in the league.

“I’ve always watched him and admired him, the way that he’s played,” Brady said. “He was a great young quarterback. He came to our stadium and beat us and took his team to the Super Bowl in 2012. He accomplished a lot in the pros as a player. And he’s certainly qualified, and I hope he gets a shot.”

The game Brady is referring to is when the Patriots lost to the 49ers in Week 15 of the 2012 season. Kaepernick went 14-of-25 passing for 221 yards and threw for four touchdowns. Later that season, the Niners would go to the Super Bowl, where they fell short of making a miraculous comeback against the Baltimore Ravens.

Brady is not the first superstar to say Kaepernick is qualified to play in the NFL. Michael Bennett, Richard Sherman, Joe Flacco, and Aaron Rodgers are among the players who have said the 29-year-old deserves another shot.

As my colleague Stephen White explains, there’s no reason, based on his play alone, that Kaepernick should not have a job in the NFL.

Kaepernick started kneeling during the national anthem in the 2016 preseason and opted out of his contract with the 49ers this offseason. He has remained a free agent ever since.

To really get a sense of how Kaepernick got to this point, read our full timeline explaining his journey from football stardom to NFL exile.