Ten years after his historic protest, which shook the football world, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has confirmed a new career move. Kaepernick earned a reputation for being one of the most explosive dual-threat quarterbacks in the league. However, his career came to a halt after the 2016 season, when Kaepernick used his platform to protest against police brutality. With a decade having passed since his monumental decision, the 38-year-old reflects on that step with his new venture.
“What would you sacrifice for what you believe in?” Colin Kaepernick shared on his Instagram account. “I gave up everything. And I’d do it again. THE PERILOUS FIGHT is the full story. The becoming, the moment, and what’s still left to fight for. The world has been telling my story for ten years. It’s my turn. THE PERILOUS FIGHT. September 15, 2026. Order now at the link in my bio.”
Through this announcement, Colin Kaepernick confirmed the release of his new book, The Perilous Fight, saying, “When I took a knee, it wasn’t a sudden act. It was the result of years of becoming. And what came after taught me the most important truth: this fight has never belonged to one person. It belongs to all of us. We fight for each other. We build with each other. We must fight for justice and equity with the courage and clarity this moment demands. That is how we build a future worth fighting for.”
The book will be available for sale on September 15, 2026, two weeks after the 10th anniversary of his decision to sit during the national anthem before a preseason game.
While continuing to sit throughout the preseason, Kaepernick took a knee on September 1, 2016, before a San Francisco 49ers away game against the San Diego Chargers.
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While Kaepernick managed to get the attention of the world with this gesture, his form on the field struggled. Over the 2016 season, the 49ers finished with a 2-14 record. After San Francisco released the star quarterback, Colin Kaepernick became a free agent, but no team offered to sign him. In response, he filed a formal grievance accusing NFL team owners of conspiring to keep him out by sharing how his “advocacy for equality and social justice and his bringing awareness to peculiar institutions still undermining racial equality in the United States.”
Although two years later, Kaepernick and the NFL reached a confidential settlement, the star quarterback failed to secure another opportunity in the league. In his six-year career as a quarterback, the 38-year-old completed 59.8% of his passes for 12,271 yards, 72 touchdowns, and 30 interceptions across 69 games. In addition, he ran for 2,300 yards on 6.1 yards per carry for 13 touchdowns.
Through this tenure, his best performance came in the 2013 Super Bowl against the Baltimore Ravens. Playing at the Superdome in New Orleans, Colin Kaepernick threw for 302 yards and rushed for 62, leading a second-half comeback that wasn’t enough as the Niners suffered a 34-31 defeat.
For Kaepernick, years removed from his football career, the focus remains on working as an activist to help those in need. However, this path wasn’t easy, and so the former 49ers star spoke about what went on behind the scenes during his journey to the NFL and then beyond.
Colin Kaepernick explains his journey to the NFL and then his transition toward a life in activism
Ahead of the release of his new book, THE PERILOUS FIGHT, Colin Kaepernick stated what fans can expect before revealing how his life experience led to his decision to take the knee in the September 1 game against the San Diego Chargers.
“People saw the moment. But they didn’t see the years that made it possible: the questions about who I was; the injustices I could no longer ignore; the voices of those who came before me that I carried into that stadium,” Kaepernick said in a statement released Tuesday. “That journey, from a Black kid navigating an identity the world didn’t always make space for, to an athlete who realized the game was bigger than football, shaped everything.”
In fact, in 2022, Kaepernick wanted to return to football, saying he has “unfinished business” in the NFL and is prepared to come back to the league as a backup quarterback if he has to. Despite his rigorous effort in coming back and expressing his interests via the I AM ATHLETE podcast, Kaepernick didn’t get a second chance, and his NFL journey ended on a sorrowful note.
Ten years after taking a knee, Colin Kaepernick is finally telling his story on his own terms. With The Perilous Fight set for release on September 15, 2026, the former 49ers quarterback is ready to give the world a full picture of the man behind the moment.
