Derek Carr Shares Thoughts on Colin Kaepernick Possibly Joining Raiders
Colin Kaepernick recently worked out for the Las Vegas Raiders, but the team didn't sign the veteran quarterback to a new contract. However, that doesn't mean the Raiders won't sign him before the season, and when starting quarterback Derek Carr spoke to reporters about Kaepernick, he said that the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback would be great in the locker room if the Raiders signed him.
"I don't want to speak for everybody in that kind of sense — I don't want someone mad at me for saying, 'I think it would be great,' — but I know him and I would get along great," Carr said after the Raiders' first mandatory minicamp practice, per ESPN. "I know we have in the past, and I think we would again. I think for the most part, I think he'd get along great with our guys."
Carr and Kaepernick are familiar with each other as the two played in the Western Athletic Conference with Fresno State and Nevada, respectively, in 2009. Kaepernick was selected by the 49ers in the second round of the 2011 draft while Carr was selected in the second round by the Raiders in 2014. Carr went on to say how much he enjoyed watching Kaepernick in college.
"I remember our days back then, and just watching him and what he did in college and getting to know him and talking to him on the phone," Carr said. "I've told you guys, I've loved my time with him. I think he's a great guy. He's been great to be around. I've enjoyed being around him, talking with him, competing against him."
Kaepernick has been a free agent since the end of the 2016 season. He spent his entire career with the 49ers, and in his final year with the team, Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice. In 2017, the Seattle Seahawks brought Kaepernick in for a visit but didn't sign him. Before the Raiders workout this year, Kaepernick was having training sessions with NFL players to show that he was ready to join a team. In his six seasons with the 49ers, Kaepernick played in 69 games with 58 starts and posted 12,271 passing yards, 72 passing touchdowns and 30 interceptions. He also rushed for 2,300 yards and 13 touchdowns.