Las Vegas Raiders: Colin Kaepernick Should've Been Signed Already

It has been almost six years since Colin Kaepernick has suited up for an NFL team. His career was cut short after a series of political protests divided opinions of the young QB. Now at age 34, he’s still trying to make a comeback, this time with the Las Vegas Raiders. He’s had a few different tryouts along the way, but so far none have stuck. Maybe teams don’t believe he’s that good, or may they don’t want the hassle of dealing with the media circus. One thing is for sure, the Raiders and a few other teams could use some competition going in camp even if he has no shot at a starter role.

Looking at the roster, after Derek Carr the QB room isn’t that strong. They’ve got Nick Mullens, Jarrett Stidham, and Chase Garbers. Mullens had some success as a fill-in with the 49ers but his uneven and inconsistent play doesn’t exactly scream “take the reigns” if the starter goes down. Jarret Stidham was talked about as the next Tom Brady by ESPN but easily was replaced by an aging Cam Newton who himself struggled to make an impact in New England. Garbers is down all the way as 4th on the depth chart. Even as a distraction, there’s no way that an experienced QB who has been to the Super Bowl couldn’t make an impact on this roster.

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Then you have to examine their current talent pool outside of the QB room. The Las Vegas Raiders have plenty of playmakers on offense that even as a decoy Kaepernick would elevate. If you take a mobile quarterback and put him under center, line up Josh Jacobs behind him, and have Darren Waller, Hunter Renfrow, and Devante Adams receiving and the possibilities are endless. That’s not to say he’d replace Carr, but the Raiders proved last year that they’re willing to use their backup in certain situations. There were certain packages they used for Marcus Mariota to change opposing defensive looks. Kaepernick fakes to Jacobs and rolls in the opposite direction and there are a lot of moving pieces you have to account for. He’d open up the offense for sure.

Colin Kaepernick might not be a starting caliber QB in the NFL but he’s definitely better than some of the current list of starters. Even as a back up he’d have to be close to the top of the list. Teams like the Texans who are trotting out David Mills, the Carolina Panthers who are sticking with Sam Darnold, or the New York Giants who are giving Daniel Jones too much time would be wise to bring him in.

As it stands, you might be able to convince people that there are 32 starting QBs better than Colin Kaepernick, but you won’t be able to sway the vote that the additional 32 backups are a better option. Six years later and this country is as divided as ever. It’s time 1 out of 32 teams sucks it up and at least offers Colin Kaepernick a contract.