Josh McDaniels Asked Why He Brought Colin Kaepernick in for a Workout

As speculation continues to swirl regarding Colin Kaepernick’s workout with the Raiders, coach Josh McDaniels provided some insight on the thought process behind the decision.

McDaniels, who is entering Year 1 in Las Vegas, reportedly attended Kaepernick’s session Wednesday alongside first-year general manager Dave Ziegler. After declining to discuss how the workout went during his Thursday media session, McDaniels explained why the club decided to bring the former 49ers quarterback in for a visit.

“If there’s an opportunity to improve the team, we said it from day one that we would look at every opportunity. He’s not the first player that we looked at, not the last one,” McDaniels told reporters. “There’s going to be a lot of people that come in and out of this building and have an opportunity to make an impression. … If we make a decision to add somebody to the team, then we’ll do it.”

McDaniels’s comments came a few hours after NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported “the door is open” after Kaepernick “impressed” during his workout. Currently, the Raiders depth chart behind Derek Carr includes Nick Mullens, Jarrett Stidham and rookie Chase Garbers.

Once viewed as one of the best players at his position, Kaepernick has spent six years away from the game. He remained a free agent after the 2016 season, in which he kneeled during the national anthem in protest of racial injustice and police brutality. His stance eventually led to a lengthy legal battle with the NFL, ending in early 2019 after the involved parties reached a financial settlement.

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