Raiders HC Josh McDaniels declines comment on Colin Kaepernick

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick last played during the 2016 NFL season, when he kneeled for renditions of the national anthem ahead of games to protest racial inequality and acts of police violence, but was in headlines Wednesday when it was learned that he was completing a workout with the Las Vegas Raiders. It's presumed Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels, who only joined the organization following the 2021 campaign, liked what they saw, as reports surfaced earlier on Thursday claiming Kaepernick "impressed" in his latest session. 

Understandably, McDaniels was asked about Kaepernick while speaking with reporters on Thursday. 

"We will only talk about the people that are on our team," McDaniels remarked, according to Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. "Dave (Ziegler) and his staff have worked out tons of guys this spring. We really don’t make comments about the evaluations that we made or what they looked like, what they didn’t look like, strengths and weaknesses, those kinds of thing. They are obviously kind of private for us as we look at things to try to make decisions to make the team better. If players are added to the team, then obviously we’ll talk about them at that point.

"I respect the question 100 percent. I understand, but that’s kind of what we’ll stick to."

Kaepernick certainly wouldn't be QB1 for the Raiders were he to sign, as the club gave starter Derek Carr a three-year extension worth up to $121.5 million in April. The 34-year-old could, however, be given a chance to beat out Nick Mullens and Jarrett Stidham to become Carr's full-time backup by September. 

"If there's an opportunity to improve the team, we've said it from Day 1 that we would look at every opportunity," McDaniels added about Kaepernick's workout, per the NFL's website. "He's not the first player that we've looked at, and not the last one. There's going to be a lot of people that are going to come in and out of this building. ... The evaluations we make are private for us, and if we make a decision to add someone to the team then we'll do it."