By Jordan Long
The Las Vegas Raiders worked out quarterback Colin Kaepernick. If the Raiders decide to sign the quarterback, he will have his chance to play in the NFL for the first time since 2016.
Kaepernick played his whole NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2016. During that time his record as a starting quarterback was 28-30. The 49ers went to 2 NFC Championship games, 2012 and 2013. They won the 2012 NFC title game and faced the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl 47 but fell short by the final of 34-31.
Kaepernick was successful in the league. He passed for 12,271 yards and 72 touchdowns. He didn’t force the football into double coverage with 30 interceptions. What made him a tough quarterback to play against was his ability to run outside the pocket. When Kaepernick ran, he bought more time to find his receivers, but he could also tuck the football and run. Kaepernick totaled 2,300 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.
Kaepernick hasn’t played in the league since the end of the 2016 season. It might be due to his controversial kneeling during the National Anthem which was his protest against police violence. There hasn’t been a team who has wanted to take a chance since then. The Raiders at least brought him in for a workout. That may be a step in the right direction. It is showing some interest in the quarterback.
The Raiders, though, don’t make a whole lot of sense as a landing spot for Kaepernick. Besides the fact Kaepernick hasn’t played since 2016, the Raiders have 3 quarterbacks on the roster. Their starter, of course, is Derek Carr who has been with the Raiders organization since they drafted him in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft. After him, the two who are going to fight for the backup position are Jarrett Stidham and Nick Mullens.
The other problem for Kaepernick is his age. Right now he is 34 years old. Teams might want to go with a younger quarterback. 34 is getting up there in age for an NFL player in general even though Kaepernick hasn’t appeared in an NFL game in 6 years. What kind of football shape is he in? It also takes a while for a quarterback to read NFL defenses once again.
For Kaepernick, at least this was a step in the right direction. The workout could go a long way to helping Kaepernick make an NFL comeback. The Raiders may even invite him to training camp. The worst case is Kaepernick remains a free agent looking for an NFL home. Kaepernick still has hope of being on an NFL roster.
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