Colin Kaepernick is returning to the NFL, but according to witness testimonies, his tryout last month with the Las Vegas Raiders was not a good sign of a comeback. Warren Sapp, who played for the Raiders as defensive lineman from 2004 to 2007, heard that the tryout did not go well at all, telling VladTV that people said it was “a disaster” and “one of the worst workouts ever.”
The 49-year-old Hall of Famer did not reveal his sources from within the Las Vegas team, although he was surprised that no footage from the workout was leaked.
“I’m wondering how the hell this happened,” Sapp said, “and the tape didn’t get out, right?”
Warren Sapp – Vivien Killilea/Getty Images
The Raiders haven’t said much about Kaepernick’s tryout, and head coach Josh McDaniels did not get into specifics about the workout. The team’s starting quarterback Derek Carr, however, recently said that he supports Kaepernick coming on the team.
These rumors add to recent criticism of Kaepernick sparked by comments from Antonio Brown. The 34-year-old’s agent, Jeff Nalley, denied Sapp’s claims to Pro Football Talk yesterday, claiming that the workout was a success and that Sapp “didn’t talk to the General Manager or the head coach.”
“I spoke to the G.M. [Dave Zieger] several times and he said they all thought Kap was in great shape and threw the ball really well and encouraged any team to call him about the workout and he would tell them the same,” said Nalley. “I’m surprised Warren would say that, because it’s not true and you would think he would want Kap on a team.”
Kaepernick last played in the NFL in 2016, and has since remained a free agent. This latest discussion of his tryout with the Raiders is sure to raise eyebrows about his possible return to the NFL, but it’s also likely to get people curious as to what’s next for the quarterback.