Colin Kaepernick to work out with Raiders this week

Colin Kaepernick hasn’t played in the NFL in more than a half-decade but the quarterback will get another shot at a workout, this time with the Raiders.

It’s been more than five years since NFL fans have seen Colin Kaepernick on the field for any team. That, of course, is also when he began kneeling on the field during the national anthem, which has caused fervent debate throughout the league since he made that decision.

The question that has always lingered, however, is whether or not the quarterback who once led the 49ers to the Super Bowl would ever get another shot in the NFL. There have been nibbles but there hasn’t been a full-blown chance just yet.

That might be changing, though. On Wednesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Las Vegas Raiders are set to bring in Kaepernick for a workout this week.

Colin Kaepernick Raiders workout gives QB another shot

Kaepernick is no stranger to workouts. Just at the beginning of April 2022, he worked out and threw at the Michigan Wolverines spring game alongside his former 49ers head coach, Jim Harbaugh. In recent years, he’s also worked out for teams like the Seahawks and garnered some interest from others at various points.

With that said, this news does feel different in some ways. For one, the changing of the guard in Las Vegas this offseason as new head coach Josh McDaniels and his staff were hired could open the door for a player like Kaepernick to make his comeback to the NFL. Meanwhile, there is also a potential need and hole on the quarterback depth chart that Kap would address.

Raiders depth chart at quarterback

One of the things working in Kaepernick’s favor to potentially make a return to the NFL is the simple fact that the depth chart behind Derek Carr in Las Vegas is less than stellar. Here’s what the 3-deep looks like as of right now:

1. Derek Carr
2. Jarrett Stidham
3. Nick Mullens

To be frank, Stidham and Mullens are virtually interchangeable, though the former does have more familiarity with McDaniels due to their time together in New England. However, neither player has proven to be a winning backup quarterback in their careers to this point, which does open the door a bit for Kaepernick to potentially get his foot in if he impresses in his workout.