Getty Former 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick.
Despite being out of the NFL since 2007, Warren Sapp has recently caused a stir. The Hall of Fame defensive lineman came out and said that Colin Kaepernick’s workout with the Las Vegas Raiders was “one of the worst workouts ever.” Sapp was quickly met with pushback as Kaepernick’s agent came out and said the claim wasn’t valid.
Sapp played for the Raiders for four seasons and should still have some connections to the franchise despite being away from the team for 15 years now. However, it’s unclear who is source might be as it’s hard to imagine head coach Josh McDaniels or general manager Dave Ziegler would leak that information to him. While many are ready to dismiss Sapp’s comments on Kaepernick, there are those who believe him.
LaVar Arrington spent seven years in the NFL and was a three-time Pro Bowl linebacker. He was never a teammate of Sapp’s but he knows the defensive lineman on a personal level. He doesn’t believe Sapp has any reason to lie about this and it’s believable that he’d still have contacts on the Raiders.
“I know Sapp pretty well. … He ain’t lying,” Arrington said on Fox Sports Radio. “One thing Sapp is not is a ‘liar.’ “If you’ve played for an organization you know people in the organization. There’s certain places that you can get information that in other cases you wouldn’t get that information. Sapp played for the Raiders, and Sapp probably has a relationship with a couple people that are in the organization. If Sapp didn’t know, hear, or have a discussion with someone who was in the organization he wouldn’t have even talked about it.”
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Fact Kaepernick Remains Unsigned Helps Sapp’s Claim
As is the case with many rumors, the truth is likely somewhere in the middle. To say that Kaepernick had one of the worst workouts ever with the Raiders could be an exaggeration. However, the fact that he hasn’t been signed by the team or landed other workouts lends credibility to the idea that he didn’t impress the team.
There’s no reason for Sapp to come out and throw Kaepernick under the bus unless he’s got some information to back up his claim. It’s also entirely possible that Sapp is getting information from a bad faith actor within the Raiders organization. As long as Kaepernick remains unsigned, the rumors will persist.
Kaepernick Running out of Time
Kaepernick clearly still wants to be in the NFL and has been staying in shape. That’s been proven in a recent workout at Michigan. However, he’s 34 years old and his athleticism will start to fade soon. Kaepernick was effective because of his arm strength and athleticism. If he loses those, he’s no longer an NFL-level player.
Eventually, the quarterback is going to have to either sign with a team or accept that he can no longer play in the NFL. The Raiders opened up the door for his NFL return but that hasn’t led to anything yet. He may not ever get another chance.
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