Colin Kaepernick, who hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016, is scheduled to work out for the Raiders, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport confirmed the report and added the workout is Wednesday.
The workout will be at the team facility and coach Josh McDaniels along with general manager Dave Ziegler will be in attendance, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Kaepernick last played for the 49ers and was eventually released at the end of the 2016 season. He was never signed by a team in free agency after he made waves in the NFL for kneeling during the national anthem before games to protest police brutality and institutionalized racism in America.
He believed he was never signed by an NFL team because of his peaceful protests and the political attention that his kneeling brought. He filed a grievance with the NFL in 2017, accusing league owners of colluding to blackball him, and he eventually reached a confidential settlement with the league.
Since then, the 34-year-old has stayed active politically and has constantly stated he still wants to play in the NFL. During an October 2021 interview, and several times since, Kaepernick said he still trains so he can one day lead an NFL team to a Super Bowl.
During an appearance on the I AM ATHLETE podcast in April, Kaepernick stated he’d be open to returning to the NFL as a backup quarterback. This will likely be the scenario in Las Vegas and any NFL team he would join. Derek Carr is the unquestioned starter for the Raiders and Kaepernick would no doubt serve as a backup if he made the roster.
“I know I have to find my way back in. So if I have to come in as a backup, that’s fine,” he said in April.
Later that month, during an appearance on NBC Sports’ Race in America: A Candid Conversation, Raiders owner Mark Davis said he’d be open to signing the quarterback if team personnel wanted to make the move.
“Listen, I believe in Colin Kaepernick, and he deserves every chance in the world to become a quarterback in the National Football League,” Davis said in April. “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.”
The last time he played in the NFL, Kaepernick was a backup but before that, he was a budding star for San Francisco. The peak of his career came when he led the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII at the end of the 2012 season where the team lost to the Ravens 34–31.
Kaepernick hasn’t given up on his dream in the last six years and for the first time in a long time, he has an opportunity to return to the NFL.
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