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After five seasons away from football, Colin Kaepernick may be on his way back to the NFL.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the 34-year-old has a scheduled tryout with the Las Vegas Raiders this week, according to multiple sources.
Team spokespeople did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for confirmation.
Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since the 2016 season, when he ignited a nationwide free speech debate by kneeling during the national anthem before games to protest discrimination and racist police brutality.
The Raiders currently have a starting quarterback in 31-year-old Derek Carr, who is committed through the 2025 season thanks to a three-year, $121 million extension. However, the Raiders could use the veteran Kaepernick as a reliable backup given his experience guiding the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII in February of 2013.
Las Vegas recently acquired backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham from the New England Patriots, where he played for the Raiders’ new head coach, Josh McDaniels.
Colin Kaepernick attends the Netflix Limited Series Colin In Black And White Special Screening at The Whitby Hotel on October 26 in New York
Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since the 2016 season, when he ignited a nationwide free speech debate by kneeling during the national anthem before games to protest discrimination and racist police brutality
Raiders owner Mark Davis (pictured) told ESPN in 2020 that he would give his ‘blessing’ to his front office if the football operations staff wanted to acquire Kaepernick
Raiders owner Mark Davis (pictured) told ESPN in 2020 that he would give his ‘blessing’ to his front office if the football operations staff wanted to acquire Kaepernick. Davis’s late father, Al, was passionate about civil rights and hired the NFL’s first African-American and Latino head coaches in Art Shell and Tom Flores, respectively.
Kaepernick is no stranger to the region, having starred at the University of Nevada, Reno before being drafted by San Francisco in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. In his senior season, Kaepernick guided the Wolf Pack to a 13-1 record and a win over Boston College in the Fight Hunger Bowl to finish 11th in the country.
After that, Kaepernick posted a respectable 88.9 quarterback rating over six NFL seasons while accumulating 12,271 yards and 72 touchdowns through the air. Most significantly, the 49ers reached three consecutive NFC title games with Kaepernick under center.
Kaepernick was later benched in favor of Blaine Gabbert in 2015 before ultimately reclaiming the starting job in 2016, but 49ers went just 1-10 with him under center.
He opted out of his contact in anticipation of his release in March of 2017 and has gone unsigned since.
In 2019, Kaepernick settled a grievance with the NFL for an undisclosed amount after accusing owners of blackballing him in retaliation for the controversial protests.
He has been training in hopes of an NFL return, while continuing to raise money for his charity, the Know Your Rights Camp, as well as other entrepreneurial and charitable endeavors.
Although Kaepernick remains an NFL pariah, commissioner Roger Goodell admitted in June of 2021 that the league should have listened to players’ concerns about racism sooner, adding that he encourages teams to sign the former 49ers star.
The league did orchestrate a tryout for Kaepernick in 2019, but that was scuttled after he took issue with the liability waiver the NFL asked him to sign.
Sports Illustrated obtained a copy of the NFL’s waiver, and according to a piece on SI.com by attorney Michael McCann, the league was effectively asking Kaepernick to sign away his right to sue teams in the future, regardless of whether or not they participated in collusion.
He ultimately arranged for his own workout for a handful of teams instead.
Although Kaepernick was reportedly in great shape and showed good arm strength, he did not receive any offers from NFL teams, despite his experience guiding the 49ers to three NFC title games and a Super Bowl appearance.
Despite that, he sill remained hopeful for an NFL comeback.
‘My desire to play football is still there,’ Kaepernick told USA Today in 2020. ‘I still train five days a week. I’m ready to go, I’m ready for a phone call, tryout, workout at any point in time. I’m still waiting on the owners and their partners to stop running from this situation. So I hope I get a call this offseason. I’ll be looking forward to it.’
The Los Angeles Chargers were keeping tabs on Kaepernick in 2020, according to then-coach Anthony Lynn, who described the embattled quarterback as a good ‘fit’ for his offense.
‘It would be crazy to not have him on your workout list,’ Lynn said at the time.
Lynn said that while he hadn’t spoken with Kaepernick, he ‘fits the style of quarterback for the system that we’re going to be running. I’m very confident and happy with the three quarterbacks that I have but you can never have too many people waiting on the runway.’
‘It would be something I think any team would have to explore with a talent of that caliber that is available under these circumstances,’ Lynn continued.
‘I know he has a high IQ at the position. It comes down to physical shape and his ability to do what he does. You can figure out real quick where he is in his career after an intense workout.’
Free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick participates in a workout for NFL football scouts and media, Saturday, November 16, 2019, in Riverdale, Georgia
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