On Wednesday, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick worked out with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Kaepernick, 34, has not played in the NFL since the 2016 season, during which he peacefully protested social injustice and police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem.
According to the NFL, the workout marked Kaepernick’s first with a team since 2016, and it is the first time the former star quarterback has visited a team since meeting with the Seattle Seahawks in May 2017. The Seahawks passed on the opportunity to sign him.
Kaepernick recently threw passes while NFL scouts watched during the University of Michigan spring game halftime in April. Michigan is coached by Kaepernick’s former 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh.
In an interview with the “I Am Athlete” podcast weeks after his workout at Michigan, Kaepernick said he would be okay with signing on to a team as a backup. However, he stated he ultimately wants to start in the league and win a championship.
Kaepernick came close to winning the Super Bowl with the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, during which San Francisco, coached by Harbaugh, fell one play short in a 34-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in February 2013. Kaepernick threw for over 3,000 yards and rushed for over 500 yards in each of the following two seasons.
Kaepernick also said in the interview that the NFL should be more “in alignment” with his social views, given the league’s other initiatives on matters pertaining to race relations in the United States.
“You have ‘End Racism’ in the back of your end zone. You have ‘Black Lives Matter’ on your helmet. Everything I’ve said should be in alignment with what you’re saying publicly,” Kaepernick said. “It’s a $16 billion business. When I first took a knee, my jersey went to No.1. When I did the deal with Nike, their value increased by $6 billion. Six billion. With a B.”
“So if you’re talking about the business side, it shows [it’s] beneficial,” Kaepernick continued. “If you’re talking about the playing side, come in, let me compete. You can evaluate me from there. The NFL’s supposed to be a meritocracy. Come in, let me compete. If I’m not good enough, get rid of me. But let me come in and show you.”
Kaepernick also refuted the idea that his inclusion on a team would cause too much of a distraction.
“That 2016 season, my last year, my teammates voted me most courageous and inspirational player,” Kaepernick said. “So, when you’re talking about the people that are in the building, that has never come out that I’ve been a distraction. That’s never come out that I’ve been an issue for the people I’ve played with.”
The NFL has been outspoken in pushing for a team to consider signing Kaepernick. Last month, Raiders owner Mark Davis said that Kaepernick “deserves every chance in the world to become a quarterback in the National Football League.”
“I still stand by it,” Davis continued. “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.”
Kaepernick played college football at the University of Nevada, Reno. He also has a link to the professional team in Nevada in Raiders offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi, who was an assistant with the 49ers from 2013 to 2016.
