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Colin Kaepernick Rumors: Raiders Contract Isn't 'Imminent' Despite Positive Workout
May 27, 2022
A deal between the Las Vegas Raiders and Colin Kaepernick reportedly isn't on the verge of happening.
Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Raiders signing Kaepernick isn't "imminent" even though the team was impressed with his arm strength and conditioning during his workout on Wednesday.
It marked his first official workout with an NFL team since he last appeared in a game during the 2016 season. He did have a visit with the Seattle Seahawks in May 2017, shortly after he was released by the San Francisco 49ers.
Kaepernick began protesting police brutality and social injustice before games during the 2016 season. His protest initially began by remaining seated on the bench during the playing of the national anthem, but he eventually took a knee on the sidelines after speaking with special forces soldier Nate Boyer.
In February 2019, Kaepernick and Eric Reid, who played alongside him in San Francisco and joined his sideline protest, reached a settlement with the NFL after filing collusion grievances against the league.
Kaepernick filed his grievance in October 2017. Reid, who remained with the 49ers in 2017 and played two seasons with the Carolina Panthers from 2018-19, filed his grievance in May 2019.
Per Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, Kaepernick's workout lasted nearly five hours, and he went through drills, met with coaches and team executives.
"It was a very normal workout," one source told Robinson. "It was just about assessing a football player, meeting face to face, seeing the physical capabilities. Like any other football workout."
Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels spoke with reporters Thursday, but he didn't offer any specifics about Kaepernick. He said:
"Just by standard procedure, we will only talk about the people that are on our team. [General manager] Dave [Ziegler] and his staff have worked out tons of guys this spring, and we really don't make comments about the evaluations that we've made; or what they look like, what they didn't look like."
Kaepernick has been very open in recent months about pursuing any opportunity he can find to work with NFL players in an attempt to resume his career.
Colin Kaepernick @Kaepernick7For The past 5 years I’ve been working out and staying ready in case an opportunity to play presented itself. I’m really grateful to my trainer, who I’ve been throwing to all this time. But man, do I miss throwing to professional route runners. <br><br>Who’s working?? I will pull up
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, who was Kaepernick's coach for four seasons with the 49ers, brought the 34-year-old to Ann Arbor for the Wolverines' spring game last month.
Kaepernick also threw to a group of undrafted receivers in front of NFL scouts during halftime of the game.
Mick Lombardi, who joined McDaniels' staff as Las Vegas' offensive coordinator in February, was an assistant with the 49ers for Kaepernick's final four seasons with the team from 2013 to 2016.
Kaepernick led the 49ers to back-to-back NFC Championship Game appearances in 2012 and 2013. They beat the Atlanta Falcons in the 2012 game to reach Super Bowl 47. He threw for 12,271 yards and 72 touchdowns in 69 career games with San Francisco.