colin-kaepernick-usatsi.jpg

Free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick returned to college this weekend, as the honorary captain hosted a public throwing session at the "Big House" during halftime of Michigan's spring game. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh had a hand in the event, as he and Kaepernick led the San Francisco 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII in 2013. 

Kaepernick's last snap in the NFL came on Jan. 1, 2017, but he's been working for another chance. The throwing session began with short routes to the flats. Kaepernick even dodged a boom mic from his own camera crew to complete a pass on one of his first reps. He also threw a couple of slants and outs that were timing routes, and looked accurate on those tosses despite him not knowing his wide receivers too well. Coach Harbaugh even helped out during the event, directing routes.

As they climbed their way up the route tree, Kaepernick ran a bootleg left and completed a 20-yard comeback route. He also worked some shotgun. As the workout wore on, Kap capped the event with some deep shots on flag routes and straight go routes. His accuracy waned toward the end, but he fit in a full game's worth of throws in the span of about 10 minutes. 

The main takeaway from the event was that the ball still jumps out of Kaepernick's hand. He still gets the ball out very quickly on some of those short routes with plenty of power. While all throws were against air, the former 49ers QB had more impressive throws than ones in which he sailed or threw behind his intended wideout, which happened just four or so times.

After the throwing session, which was broadcasted live on the Big Ten Network, Kaepernick said it was the first time he had thrown in the cold in awhile, as it was about 40 degrees in Ann Arbor. It was the biggest stage he had performed on live in years. When asked what he hoped to accomplish with Saturday's workout, Kap said he's just looking for a chance. 

"A shot," Kaepernick responded. "Just a chance, an opportunity. You know, a lot of what we've heard is, 'Oh you haven't played in five years, can you still play?' Well, I had to come out, it's part of the reason we've been doing all of the workouts publicly, releasing them publicly.

"(I'm) grateful that this is an opportunity that can lead to a next step and hopefully crack that door open so I can run through it." 

Kaepernick is open to accepting a backup role in the NFL if that is what is required to get back into the league, per CBS Sports NFL insider Josina Anderson. According to one of Kaepernick's trainers, five NFL teams have shown recent interest. 

Kaepernick has been tied to the Seattle Seahawks this offseason, as he and wide receiver Tyler Lockett hooked up to throw the ball around. The quarterback also reached out to head coach Pete Carroll and sent him videos from the workout. 

It remains to be seen if these workouts will be enough for an NFL team to pull the trigger, but with how wild this offseason has been, anything can happen. CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin compiled eight potential landing spots for Kaepernick. Check them out, here.