Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick wants to return to the NFL for the first time since 2016, when he was forced out due to taking a knee in protest of of police brutality and social justice inequity.

Kap's NFL comeback has slowly been gaining traction, with Las Vegas Raiders owner saying he would welcome the QB 'with open arms.' Despite making some progress in his attempts to return to the league, Kaepernick is now being told to take a step in the wrong direction.

A reporter by the name of Roy S. Johnson wrote an opinion column on AL.com urging Kap to play in the United States Football League (USFL) -- a professional American football league owned by Fox Sports that began play on April 16, 2022. Johnson makes it seem like he's looking out for Kap, saying he needs to show NFL owners that he can still lead a team to victory.

But in the USFL? With all due respect, but the USFL is a joke of a league. In just the past couple of weeks, one USFL coach went viral for releasing a player who preferred to eat pizza over chicken salad. A few days after that incident, a USFL player was recorded with a cigarette in his mouth during practice.

Colin Kaepernick's resumé speaks for itself

Kaepernick, 34, has no business playing in that "professional" league and doesn't need to prove anything to anybody. He led the 49ers to a Super Bowl in 2013, their first appearance in the big game since 1994.

During that Super Bowl run, Kaepernick set a new NFL record for rushing yards by a quarterback in any game, regular season or playoffs. That broke Michael Vick's record of 173 rushing yards in a single game but unlike Vick, who did it in the regular season, Kap did it in his very first postseason start.

Kaepernick is also the only player in college football history to throw for 10,000 yards and rush for 4,000 yards. His credentials speak for themselves, but fans also witnessed his throwing power and accuracy in early April when he held a throwing exhibition in front of NFL scouts during halftime of the University of Michigan's spring game.

In his column, Johnson says he's weary of Keapernick's rust after not playing for more than five years, claiming he will face defenders who are better, faster and stronger than those he played against in 2016. Johnson also says Kap hasn't taken a hit in a long time and must therefore prove himself in the USFL.

Well, Mr. Johnson, that's why there's training camps and an entire preseason. It's true that Kap won't just pick back up where he last left off, but relegating a QB of his status to the USFL is by far the worst idea yet.

It's not like Kap's football IQ all of a sudden dissapeared, and he's in great shape for someone who hasn't played a game in half-a-decade. Kaepernick is even open to accepting a backup quarterback position as long as he can join an NFL franchise.

Whatever ends up happening with Kap, it's highly unlikely that he will take Johnson's advice. Kaepernick is aware of what he can bring to the table and if no NFL team wants him, then owners are probably still colluding against him.