In a unique twist, the biggest story of the NFL weekend happened on Saturday. It took place, not in a raucous stadium, but at a high school in Georgia. Roughly three years since he last played in an NFL game, quarterback Colin Kaepernick held a workout in front of NFL teams in hopes of getting another chance to return to the league.
The workout didn’t exactly go on without a hitch. While there were up to 25 teams expected to attend the planned workout at the Atlanta Falcons training facility, there was a last-minute location change to a high school in Riverdale, Georgia, which is about 60 miles from Atlanta. Kaepernick’s representatives wanted a public workout with media present, prompting the location change. There was also a disagreement between the NFL and Kaepernick’s side regarding a liability waiver. As a result, the location was moved and only eight teams had representatives in attendance.
The 32-year-old Kaepernick ended up throwing 60 passes during the workout, using four former NFL wide receivers as his targets. He completed 53 of the 60 passes, showing plenty of arm strength and accuracy with only a few signs of rust after going three years without throwing a pass in a game. Kaepernick also appeared to have more upper body strength than he did when he played with the 49ers in 2016. Receiver Jordan Veasy gave the workout a positive review, saying: “I don’t think that’s the question with Kap — skill and ability.”
Despite all of the controversy surrounding the workout and the location change, all Kaepernick can do is sit and wait for teams to call. The 49ers, Chiefs, Eagles, Jets, Lions, Redskins, and Titans were among the teams that had representatives watching Kaepernick. However, given how Kaepernick remains a controversial figure for exercising his right to protest by kneeling during the national anthem, his camp isn’t getting their hopes up.
“I’m a little bit pessimistic because I’ve talked to all 32 teams. I’ve reached out to them recently, and none of them have had any interest,” said Kaepernick’s agent Jeff Nally. “I’ve got to hand it to Colin. He stepped up, showed he’s in shape. I talked to the NFL people out here today. They said his arm talent is elite, that it’s the same as when he came out of college.”