After five years in the NFL, Colin Kaepernick finally got a chance to try to get back in the league on Wednesday when the Raiders took him to training.
Although Kaepernick doesn’t have a contract offer from anyone yet, it’s still very likely that he’ll end up returning to the NFL this year. On the one hand, the Raiders were really “impressed” by Kaepernick during training, according to NFL.com, which means there’s definitely a chance they’ll end up signing him. According to ESPN, the Raiders were especially impressed with Kaepernick’s arm strength and overall conditioning.
Despite rave reviews, Raiders coach Josh McDaniels did not say whether his team could end up signing the free agent’s quarterback, and told reporters that he was not talking about anyone who is not currently on the team.
“We’ve brought in tons of people for training,” McDaniels added during a news conference Thursday, “if there’s a chance the team will improve, we’ll take advantage of it.”
If the Raiders decide to give in to Kaepernick, the quarterback may have some other options. The invitation to Las Vegas training could have opened the floodgates for Kaepernick, who was apparently being watched by several teams before agreeing to pitch in front of the Raiders this week. According to Pro Football Talk, there were at least TWO NFL teams showing interest in Kaepernick before he accepted coaching the Raiders.
Although we do not know the identity of the two teams, we could soon find out. Depending on how Kaepernick’s first workout was, it will come as no surprise that he will be invited to another.
The fact that Kaepernick’s training has gone well will probably not come as a big surprise to anyone who has worked with him this offseason. Over the past few months, the former 49ers quarterback has basically made a national pitching tour and seemed to impress everyone he came across, including several NFL players.
Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett picked up passes from Kaepernick in March and said the QB is “ready” to return to the NFL.
Bears QB Justin Fields also pitched with Kaepernick this offseason and came out impressed.
“It was actually the first time I met him,” Fields said of his mid-March training through SI.com. “It was great to meet him, of course. He’s an icon. It was great to just meet him and work with him. He looked great. He looked good, yes.”
More recently, 49ers rookie receiver Danny Gray was excited about Kaepernick. Gray worked with Kaepernick in Dallas earlier this year and was blown away by what he saw.
“It’s like a bazooka,” Gray said earlier this month. “That training was pretty cool.”
Basically, everyone who has seen Kaepernick pitch this offseason, including the Raiders, has been impressed. That doesn’t necessarily mean he gets a job in the NFL, but it does mean that it won’t be at all surprising if we see him return to football after five years out of the league.
The quarterback hasn’t taken any photos of the NFL since the end of the 2016 regular season of the 49ers. During his time in San Francisco, Kaepernick thrived under Jim Harbaugh, 25-14 as a starter, while leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2012 and the NFC Championship in 2013. However, he struggled. after Harbaugh left, going only 3- 16 with Jim Tomsula (2015) and Chip Kelly (2016). With the right coach, Kaepernick can show that he still has a long way to go.