Of all the reasons Colin Kaepernick doesn't have a job, the idea that the ex-San Francisco 49ers quarterback no longer wanted to play seemed like the flimsiest.
Perhaps now we can put that excuse to bed.
Josh Hidalgo, the man training Kaepernick at a New York City gym, told The MMQB's Peter King that the quarterback has been preparing to play all offseason.
"Colin has been there since January, training with me five days a week," Hidalgo told King. "We have been getting ready for football as if he was a starting quarterback for an NFL team. When I read that people don't know if Colin wants to play football ... This guy's been doing it five hours a day, five days a week, like he has a starting NFL job. And we don't take days off."
After two uneven seasons as a starter in San Francisco, Kaepernick remains a free agent while the likes of Blaine Gabbert and Mark Sanchez have jobs. Kaepernick's protests last season certainly play a part in some teams shying away from bringing in the quarterback.
The idea that teams are shying away because they believe he's spending too much time doing community and activist work always felt like a hollow excuse.
According to Hidalgo, Kaepernick has been training to play in 2017 since he moved to New York.
"From the beginning, Colin laid it out: These are the things NFL teams will be concerned about -- my weight, my diet," Hidalgo said. "Then we took care of his explosiveness, and now there is nothing he cannot do. He's healthy, he's bigger, he's faster than he was, and he's ready. Anyone who has any questions, we're more than willing to showcase this. We have nothing to hide. He is beyond ready to play quarterback in the NFL. When he gets the opportunity, it will not be wasted."
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Monday his team has considered adding Kaepernick as a backup to Russell Wilson. NFL Network's Michael Silver reported that Seattle GM John Schneider reached out to Kaepernick's agent on Friday.
Hidalgo believes if a team is willing to give Kap a look, they'll see he's motivated to play.
"I would just ask any team wondering anything about Colin: Come and see him. Come to the gym. Talk to him. They'll see he's in as good shape as a quarterback can be in. He's ready to lead a team."
