Report: Colin Kaepernick to work out with Las Vegas Raiders

Could Colin Kaepernick be making an NFL return? A report suggests is could be in the cards.

The Las Vegas Raiders are bringing Kaepernick in for a workout this week, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. ESPN’s Josina Anderson later confirmed the workout is happening Wednesday. It’s Kaepernick’s first workout with an NFL team since 2017 when the Seattle Seahawks brought him in.

The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback hasn’t played in the league since 2016 when he kneeled during the national anthem to protest racial injustice.

“This is going to be the first workout for Colin Kaepernick [with] an NFL team since he was exiled from the NFL after kneeling to protest racial injustice across the country,” Schefter said Wednesday on NFL Live. “Now, he did visit the Seattle Seahawks five years ago. But there have been no visits, there have been no workouts and at some point this week, the Raiders are planning to work out Colin Kaepernick, who’s been training in Las Vegas. We’ll see how that goes.

“But obviously, you don’t bring in a player like this unless you are understanding of the ramifications and everything that comes along with it and what it can do for your offense. He’s been looking for a chance just to get back to the National Football League. He knows he’ll have to come in as a backup.”

In six years with the 49ers from 2011 to 2016, Kaepernick totaled more than 12,000 passing yards and 72 touchdowns and helped lead San Francisco to Super Bowl XLVII. As he worked toward his goal to get back to the NFL, Michigan and coach Jim Harbaugh brought him in to work out during the program’s spring game this year.

Adam Schefter on Las Vegas’ decision to work out Colin Kaepernick: ‘The Raiders have always been a progressive organization’

Schefter pointed to the Raiders’ history as a potential reason they’d take a chance on Kaepernick. Owner Mark Davis’ dad, Al, is known as one of the more progressive owners in NFL history, and Schefter said that could be a factor in the decision to bring Kaepernick in for a workout.

“This is something that’s interesting because the Raiders have always been a progressive organization,” Schefter said. “You think back to Al Davis, the owner. He was the first owner to hire a Black head coach in Art Shell. He was the first NFL owner to hire a female executive in Amy Trask. He hired Tom Flores, a Latino head coach. He’s always been ahead of the curve.

“Now, Mark Davis — the son, the head of the organization right now — obviously is a part of an organization that’s planning to work out Colin Kaepernick. You wonder if other teams now will take notice and maybe that will generate a spark across the National Football League.”