Colin Kaepernick Rumors: Raiders to Hold Workout with Former 49ers QB on Wednesday

Timothy Rapp @@TRappaRTFeatured Columnist IVMay 25, 2022

ANN ARBOR, MI - APRIL 02: Colin Kaepernick interacts with fans before the Michigan spring football game at Michigan Stadium on April 2, 2022 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Kaepernick was honorary captain for the game. (Photo by Jaime Crawford/Getty Images)

Jaime Crawford/Getty Images

Veteran quarterback Colin Kaepernick reportedly will work out for the Las Vegas Raiders this week, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport added that the workout was happening on Wednesday.

Albert Breer @AlbertBreer
QB Colin Kaepernick's workout with the Raiders is taking place later this afternoon at the team facility, per source. HC Josh McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler are expected to be out there for it.

Jason La Canfora @JasonLaCanfora
Sense I get is Colin Kaepernick workout with the Raiders is a legitimate effort to assess his ability and take a close look at what he can do. They don't have a lot of proven options behind Carr. He is looking at it as an opportunity to show he belongs in the NFL

Kaepernick has worked out with multiple NFL players this offseason and held a throwing session during Michigan's spring game, but it will be his first workout with an NFL team since he last played in the league in 2016.

Schefter added that Kaepernick met with the Seattle Seahawks in 2017, though they chose against signing him.

Kaepernick famously kneeled during the playing of the national anthem before games in the 2016 season in protest of police brutality and racial discrimination, a gesture he chose for his protest after speaking with Green Beret and former NFL player Nate Boyer.

Nonetheless, Kaepernick's protest became a huge national talking point, dividing opinion between those who supported his decision to bring attention to important social issues and those who claimed it was disrespectful to the flag and to veterans.

After the 2016 season, Kaepernick went unsigned, with his supporters claiming that the NFL owners were blackballing him because of his political beliefs. Kaepernick and his former teammate, Eric Reid, filed a grievance against the NFL for collusion that they eventually settled in 2019.

But while Kaepernick hasn't found another job in the NFL since his San Francisco 49ers days, Raiders owner Mark Davis has long said publicly that he would happily take Kaepernick on his team:

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Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter
Almost two years ago, Raiders’ owner Mark Davis endorsed the addition of Colin Kaepernick, as <a href="https://twitter.com/PGutierrezESPN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PGutierrezESPN</a> noted. Now the Raiders themselves are taking a look. <a href="https://t.co/xBWA7aJbsM">pic.twitter.com/xBWA7aJbsM</a>

"I believe in Colin Kaepernick," Davis said in March on Race in America: A Candid Conversation (h/t Monte Poole of NBC Sports). "He deserves every chance in the world to become a quarterback in the National Football League. I still stand by it. If our coaches and general manager want to bring him in or want him to be the quarterback on this team, I would welcome him with open arms."

Were the Raiders to sign Kaepernick, he would be fighting for a backup job behind starter Derek Carr. The team currently has Jarrett Stidham and Nick Mullens on the roster at the position.