Derek Carr Says It Would Be ‘Great’ If Colin Kaepernick Joined Raiders

Colin Kaepernick is still without an NFL team, but Derek Carr would welcome his arrival in Las Vegas.

The Raiders worked out the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback on May 25, which reportedly went well. Kaepernick, 34, has not played in the NFL since 2016, when he began kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice.

While Kaepernick’s future with the Raiders remains up in the air, Carr spoke to the media after Las Vegas’ first mandatory minicamp and gave his thoughts on Kaepernick’s potential arrival.

“For us, I think he would be great,” Carr said, per USA Today’s Cydney Henderson. “Him and I would get along great.”

Carr and Kaepernick encountered each other in the now defunct Western Athletic Conference, but the two quarterbacks never went head to head. Carr played for Fresno State from 2009-to-2013, but he did not start in his freshman year, and he redshirted in 2010. And Kaepernick played for Nevada from 2006-to-2010.

“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.”

Raiders coach Josh McDaniels did not say much after Kaepernick’s workout but did hint the starting quarterback job belongs to Carr. The Las Vegas quarterback was not present at the workout, but he is confident Kaepernick would be a locker room fit.

“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 we would get along great,” Carr said. “I know we have in the past, and I think we would again. I think, for the most part, he’d get along great with our guys.”

If Kaepernick signs with the Raiders, he would compete for the backup quarterback job with former New England Patriot Jarrett Stidham, free-agent signing Nick Mullens and undrafted rookie Chase Garbers.