Making sense of Raiders doing their due diligence on QB Colin Kaepernick

May 28, 2022

The Las Vegas Raiders are led by a new regime. GM Dave Ziegler and HC Josh McDaniels both hail from New England and both bring the mindset of leaving no stone unturned. “It’s the Patriot Way.”

Still, we must consider whether this was a PR move or a real opportunity for QB Colin Kaepernick to get back in the NFL. We all know the rampant off-field drama the Raiders endured last year.

From Henry Ruggs III fatal car accident to Jon Gruden’s resignation, the Raiders have been in complete disarray of late but hope the new regime can turn it around. I believe they will.

Former NFL Player OG Glenn Parker

I host a show every Thursday at 4 pm PT called “In The Huddle” via RELEVNT and four-time AFC Champion OG Glenn Parker made a great point saying the move could’ve stemmed from “good faith” considering Kaepernick played at Nevada.

He also said that he didn’t believe Kaepernick was good enough to unseat QB Jarrett Stidham or QB Nick Mullens as the primary backup. “He’s a half the field read QB, he only plays 1/3.” Parker cited the Arizona Cardinals game as a turning point. I can’t disagree.

What we witnessed in that game based on film-study was something that was concerning and a big reason why Kaepernick struggled as safeties were afford the flexibility to cheat their pre-snap splits.

Still, Kaepernick is the perfect QB Marcus Mariota replacement with a strong arm and winning track record.

What are the Raiders getting with Kap?

I covered Kap during my time as a 49ers beat writer and no one was closer to him than I was. Maybe it was because of my ties to his childhood friends from Turlock or the fact that I worked out competitively and we would talk shop and fitness gains after practice.

Ryan Sakamoto @BEASTwriter

I asked #49ers Kaepernick about his tinted visor and why he wears it in practice despite not being approved on game days. #49ersBeastWriter

Routinely, Kap would bring me Muscle Pharm products after practice for me to try out as post-workout or intra-workout meals. Who does that? He didn’t have to take that extra step with a random beat writer-- he could’ve just recommended the product for me to buy online while he gets paid for the cross-promotion. But that’s Kap. Rarely does he let people in but when you gain his trust, he lets his guard down a bit.

Vegas Nation Reporter Vinny Bonsignore

While I was in Henderson, Nevada on the flight back to the Bay Area, Kap was working out with the Raiders. I didn’t get the opportunity to watch him in action but I did get some strong feedback from those were afforded the opportunity to interview head coach Josh McDaniels the following day.

Ian Rapoport @RapSheet

On Colin Kaepernick’s workout with the #Raiders: Sounds like it went well and he impressed. The door is open…

My guy Vinny Bonsignore who covers LVR as a Vegas Nation Reporter for Las Vegas Review-Journal wrote:

“It doesn’t appear — as of now, anyway — that they view Kaepernick as a situational player who can be featured in specific packages during games.
For now, Raiders officials are keeping a tight lid on what they saw when Kaepernick took the field. Coach Josh McDaniels said general manager Dave Ziegler has worked out many players this spring.
“We really don’t make comments about the evaluations that we’ve made or what they look like or what they didn’t look like, strengths and weaknesses, those kinds of things are kind of private between us,” McDaniels said.
Asked about the motivation to work out Kaepernick, McDaniels said the Raiders are leaving no stone unturned in improving the roster.
“We’ve said it from Day 1 that we would look at every opportunity,” McDaniels said. “He’s not the first player that we looked at, not the last one. There’s going to be a lot of players that come in and out of this building and try to make an impression.” [read full article by clicking here]

While it appears a long shot for Kaepernick to make the Raiders roster--it’s intriguing to point out that his dual-threat ability down in the red zone, as a potential zone-read QB may be too good to pass up. Think situational football.

Let’s be honest, Kap still has the legs to reach the end zone while kissing his bicep--the question remains--will it be in Las Vegas or somewhere else? Time will tell.

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