Colin Kaepernick is not only good enough to play in the NFL right now ... he's "ready to go" for a tryout ASAP -- so says his ex-49ers coach, Chip Kelly.
Kap played under Chip back in 2016 ... and actually began his anthem kneeling protests that season. The QB is now suing the NFL, claiming he's been blackballed by teams ever since.
Chip is now the head coach at UCLA -- and when we got him out at Craig's on Thursday night ... he seemed to agree with Kaep -- saying the guy is DEFINITELY still good enough to play in the league.