It’s looking more and more likely that Colin Kaepernick will be “back in the league soon,” Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports (via Twitter). Multiple teams have been doing their homework on the quarterback, though those teams reportedly have not reached out to Kaep directly.

Garafolo’s sources tell him that teams have been in communication with people close to Kaepernick, even if they haven’t chatted with the QB or his agent. Garafolo’s understanding is that they’re first looking to do their research and gauge Kaepernick’s interest in joining. If those teams are satisfied with what they find and confident that they can come to terms, they’ll engage in contract talks.

Of course, that’s not the typical order of operations for free agents, but Kaepernick is anything but the typical free agent. It’s fair to wonder whether some teams are looking to keep their interest on the hush in order to avoid a PR backlash. Still, some NFL officials have been willing to go on the record in favor of Kaepernick. Recently, newly appointed Lions principal owner Shiela Ford Hamp said that she would authorize the signing Kaep if her football people wanted him on the team.

Kaep also found support from Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn, who said that he should be on every club’s emergency workout list. Meanwhile, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll recently expressed regret over not signing Kaepernick back in 2017.

Kaepernick, 33 in November, has not played since the 2016 season. But, based on what we’ve been hearing lately, it sounds like he could be back on the field in 2020.

Earlier this month, we heard that there has been significant recent interest in free agent signal-caller Colin Kaepernick, much more than there has been in the past several years. Given the sustained nationwide outcry over George Floyd’s death at the hands of the police, as well as recent statements made by commissioner Roger Goodell, it seems that clubs are increasingly amenable to signing Kaepernick.

But according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, if teams are indeed interested, they have not let Kaepernick or his agent know about it. So while it’s possible that clubs are simply waiting to pull the trigger until they can bring him in to their facilities — which is why a number of high-profile free agents are still on the market — it’s also possible that the general push to see Kaepernick back in the league may eventually blow over without him getting another opportunity.

Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn said that Kaepernick should be on every team’s emergency workout list, but he has not spoken with the 32-year-old passer directly and does not have immediate plans to bring him in for a look. Meanwhile, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll recently expressed regret over not signing Kaepernick after he took a free agent visit in 2017, but Seattle is not interested at this time.

As Kaepernick has not played in an NFL game since 2016, any team that does sign him would obviously view him as a backup. Presumably, such a team would be one with a mobile starting quarterback and an offensive system that plays to its QB’s running abilities.

Kaepernick took the league by storm in 2012, when he led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance. And while he was solid the following year, his play subsequently began to taper off, and he was ultimately benched in favor of Blaine Gabbert in 2015. Gabbert won the starting job prior to the start of the 2016 campaign, though Kaepernick replaced Gabbert a few weeks into the season and played pretty well down the stretch.

The NFL on Thursday pledged to commit $250MM over a 10-year period to help fight systemic racism, Judy Battista of NFL.com reports.

This comes years after the league launched a program to address police brutality in communities. The initial pledge came after numerous players began following Colin Kaepernick‘s lead and waging pregame protests against police brutality and systemic racism. With nationwide protests continuing since George Floyd’s death last month in Minneapolis — several of which involving NFL players — this issue has become a central league matter.

Kaepernick has been at the forefront of this movement since he began taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem in 2016. The former 49ers quarterback has not played since that season and has only made one visit over the past four offseasons. Kaepernick since filed a grievance with the league, which he settled last year, and made an 11th-hour change to his NFL-organized 2019 workout in Atlanta.

Despite this, a person familiar with the NFL’s program said the league would be open to working with Kaepernick on social justice initiatives.

“We wouldn’t be where we are today without the work Colin and other players have led off,” the person told Battista. “That is a key point here. We listened to our players. We needed to listen more; we needed to move faster. We heard them and launched a social justice platform because of what Colin was protesting about. The players have always been an essential piece of this effort and this campaign.

“It would be awesome to engage Colin on some of the work we are doing. He’s doing real impactful work. Getting him in some way would be amazing for us. There’s a lot of work to do to get to that point. We’re certainly open and willing to do that.”

Considering the acrimony between the NFL and Kaepernick, it obviously would be notable if the sides ever worked together again. Now 32, Kaepernick has reportedly continued to train in hopes of receiving a chance to return to the league.

Colin Kaepernick‘s name is back in the NFL news cycle and he’s “more motivated than ever” to return to the field, a source close to the quarterback tells Mike Florio of PFT.

[RELATED: Hue Jackson Says He Wanted Browns To Sign Kaepernick]

Kaepernick – despite the “retired” tag briefly displayed on his NFL player page recently – remains a free agent. He hasn’t played since January 1, 2017 and over the last three years, Kaep’s camp has insisted that he wants to play in the NFL as he continued his charity and social justice efforts. Kaepernick, for the most part, has avoided interviews and public comments, but he did discuss his situation in an interview earlier this year.

“My desire to play football is still there,” Kaepernick said in February. “I still train five days a week. I’m ready to go, I’m ready for a phone call, tryout, workout at any point in time. I’m still waiting on the owners and their partners to stop running from this situation. So I hope I get a call this offseason. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Kaepernick, 33 in November, would have some rust to shake off, but he’d also be returning to the game with fresh legs. It’s also worth noting that Father Time is kinder to quarterbacks than, say, running backs. Tom Brady (42), Drew Brees (41), and Ben Roethlisberger (38) can attest to that.

Colin Kaepernick is long removed from his last snap, but he’s not giving up hope on returning to the NFL. The former 49ers quarterback tells Jarrett Bell of USA Today that he’ll be ready to go if he gets a call.

“My desire to play football is still there,” Kaepernick said. “I still train five days a week. I’m ready to go, I’m ready for a phone call, tryout, workout at any point in time. I’m still waiting on the owners and their partners to stop running from this situation. So I hope I get a call this offseason. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

At this time, it doesn’t seem likely that Kaepernick will get that opportunity. Late last year, the NFL organized an open workout for the QB, a tryout that came without much in the way of prior notice for anyone, including Kaepernick. Instead of going through with the one-man combine at the Falcons’ facility, Kaepernick pivoted at the last moment and staged a workout of his own elsewhere in Georgia. Afterwards, Kaepernick’s camp sent footage of the workout to all 32 teams. Still, his agent admitted that the odds of his client signing an NFL deal were slim.

In the midst of all of this, there have been murmurs of Kaepernick joining up with Vince McMahon’s reboot of the XFL, which kicked off its 2020 season just after the Super Bowl. There’s no movement on that front, either, and it doesn’t sound like things will change anytime soon. Recently, XFL commish Oliver Luck reiterated that Kaepernick’s salary demands were too high, and also said that the league would not be willing to bend on its policy on standing for the national anthem.

Kaepernick, 33 in November, hasn’t seen live action since January 1, 2017. Since then, the Seahawks have been the only team to bring him in for a workout.

From 2011-2016, he went 28-30 in his starts for San Francisco. Following the 2012 season, he took the 49ers to the Super Bowl. In the 2013 season, he was under center as they reached the NFC championship game.

Later this year, Kaepernick will release a memoir via his newly formed publishing company and a partnership with Audible.