The world may have just learned Colin Kaepernick and Nessa said their “I do’s” … but the nuptials are nothing new, ’cause the former NFL star’s wife tells us they got married “YEARS AGO!”

TMZ Sports talked to the radio and TV host this week in NYC … just days after blasting the media for referring to her as Colin’s “girlfriend,” “partner,” and “mother of his child” — when she’s actually wifey.

We asked Nessa when the wedding went down (’cause there isn’t a photo to be found!) … and while she didn’t give a date, she offered some detail.

The convo over their nuptials started when Nessa weighed in on the beef between Nicki Minaj and Jay Z last month, claiming Hov and his company also did her husband, Kap, dirty.

“@NICKIMINAJ sharing her experiences of dealing with similar smear campaigns from them and people questioning her,” Nessa said on IG.

“I believe what she said, because I saw them do similar manipulative tactics behind the scenes against Kaepernick when they partnered with the NFL on the back of Colin’s protest.”

Of course, Kaepernick hasn’t suited up for an NFL team since 2016, following his protests during the national anthem over racial injustice in the U.S. … which received backlash from many fans.

Colin filed a grievance against the league for allegedly blackballing him … before the parties reached a confidential settlement in 2019.

Kap hasn’t played in an NFL game in years, and while he hopes to return to the gridiron, Colin hasn’t stopped living life in the meantime.