Colin Kaepernick wants to join the New York Jets.

As a practice squad quarterback.

J. Cole shared a letter on Instagram that Kaepernick wrote to the Jets. The letter requests a spot on the practice squad and explains the former San Francisco 49ers signal-caller's reasoning.

"I would be honored and extremely grateful for the opportunity to come in and lead the practice squad," he wrote. "I would do this with the sole mission of getting your defense ready each week. If I were able to fill this role, I believe this allows for multiple things."

He explained that he would give the defense an opportunity to prepare against an athletic and versatile quarterback. It would also allow the Jets the chance to evaluate Kaepernick without "putting any competitive pressure on Zach [Wilson]" to maintain the starter's confidence.

Kaepernick also said he hasn't stopped training, would be a "risk-free contingency plan" in case Wilson doesn't find his stride or suffers an injury, and listed Jim Harbaugh, Chip Kelly, John Harbaugh and Mark Davis as references.

"Worst case scenario, you see what I have to offer and you're not that impressed," he wrote. "Best case scenario, you realize you have a real weapon at your disposal in the event you ever need to use it. In either of these scenarios, I would be committed to getting your defense ready week in and week out, all season long, and I would wear that responsibility like a badge of honor."

The Jets entered the season with realistic Super Bowl aspirations in large part because of the addition of future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers.

However, those Super Bowl hopes seemed to vanish when the veteran suffered a torn Achilles during the opener against the Buffalo Bills. Wilson has struggled since he was the No. 2 overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft, and that hasn't changed this season with two touchdown passes to four interceptions.

To this point, the Jets have shown every indication that Wilson is their quarterback.

Adding Kaepernick would certainly generate headlines, but he hasn't played in the NFL since the 2016 campaign. While he has trained during his time away from the league, that is still a long absence. It wouldn't be as much of a concern for a practice squad quarterback, but it is still a reality.

That he has been out of the league this long hasn't been by choice.

Kaepernick protested racial injustice and police brutality in the United States by kneeling during the national anthem when he was with the 49ers. He then remained unsigned during the 2017 season after doing so even though he threw for 16 touchdowns and just four interceptions in 12 games the prior year and had a Super Bowl appearance on his resume.

He filed a grievance against the NFL and alleged that team owners colluded to keep him out of the league.

While he was just 30 years old in 2017, he will turn 36 years old in November and has been away from the NFL for some time. Perhaps the Jets will agree that he is a "risk-free" addition as just a practice squad player, but it would be a surprising development.