Getty Free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Now that the dust has settled from Colin Kaepernick’s workout with the Las Vegas Raiders, it’s looking unlikely that he’ll be signing with the team. Had he blown them away, he almost certainly would have been signed. The fact that he remains unsigned means the Raiders believe that his current talent level isn’t worth the media attention he’ll bring.
After the workout happened, it was widely reported that Kaepernick looked solid with good arm strength and conditioning. However, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated later reported that while the workout was good, the quarterback didn’t “blow everybody away.” The Raiders weren’t in the market for somebody to compete to start but it appears the team would rather stick with Nick Mullens and Jarrett Stidham as Derek Carr’s backups.
There hasn’t been much news on the Kaepernick front recently but a former Raiders player claims to have insight. Hall of Fame defensive lineman Warren Sapp says that from what he’s heard, the quarterback’s workout was much worse than what has been reported.
“I heard it was a disaster,” Sapp said on “Vlad TV.” “I heard one of the worst workouts ever. I’m wondering how the hell this happened and the tape didn’t get out, right? I mean, somebody wasn’t over the fence or nothing? Come on, man.”
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Could Kaepernick’s Workout Have Been That Bad?
There were only a small handful of people present for Kaepernick’s workout, including Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler. There haven’t been any players who have been reported to be at the workout but there could’ve been a wide receiver or two out there. It’s unclear where Sapp is getting his insight from as there’s no reason to believe he has a direct line to McDaniels or Ziegler.
It’s possible that the Hall of Famer has some inside knowledge but Kaepernick has worked out in front of cameras a couple of times over the last few years. In 2019, he staged a workout for NFL teams and it was streamed online. He looked fine in the workout and wasn’t a disaster. Perhaps the added pressure of working out for a single NFL team for the first time since he played worked against him. Unless the Raiders sign him, it’s impossible to know for sure how good he looked in the workout.
Will Kaepernick Play in the NFL Again?
The more days pass where Kaepernick remains unsigned, the less likely he is to play in the NFL this season. The Raiders giving him a workout was the most momentum he’s had in years but other workouts haven’t followed. There are teams who could use a solid backup quarterback but it appears teams would rather avoid Kaepernick altogether.
He turns 35 during the season so the clock is ticking on his athletic prime. Kaepernick had success in large part due to his athleticism. Once that starts to slip, he won’t have much of a case for a team to sign him.
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