Having not played in the NFL since 2016, former Super Bowl quarterback Colin Kaepernick will work out for teams this coming Saturday in Atlanta.
The NFL set up this combine-like workout as a way to help potentially expedite Kaepernick’s return to the league. Pretty much every team is expected to have personnel on hand in Georgia.
Now, according to betting odds, the winless Cincinnati Bengals are favorites to land Mr. Kaepernick. They are joined atop the list by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills and Oakland Raiders.
In a vacuum, Cincinnati would make sense for the embattled signal caller. The team sits at 0-9 on the season and has no current answers at quarterback. Under first-year head coach Zac Taylor, the Bengals have already benched Andy Dalton for rookie Ryan Finley.
Among the other teams atop the list, we’re not even sure where Pittsburgh and Baltimore come into play. The Steelers have already extended Ben Roethlisberger. Even with him out for the season, Mason Rudolph has led Pittsburgh into playoff contention.
As it relates to the Ravens, they boast MVP contender Lamar Jackson at quarterback and have Robert Griffin III backing him up. Kaepernick’s relationship with Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman dating back to their San Francisco days is what likely has Baltimore on the list of favorites.
Though, it would be quite the story of Kaepernick landed on the Oakland Raiders. We know head coach Jon Gruden and Co. have not been afraid to make the controversial move in the past. We also know Gruden is not completely sold on Derek Carr as the team’s franchise quarterback.
Imagine the optics if the Raiders signed Kaepernick as they prepare for relocation to Las Vegas. One could only hope so.
We did focus on five teams that make the most sense for Kaepernick. Among them, the Carolina Panthers come in with the best odds at +800. Given owner David Tepper’s liberal leanings and Cam Newton’s questionable future in Carolina, that could make some sense.
Either way, it will be interesting to see what comes of this situation. Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since 2016, the season he started national anthem protests around the league.