Latest On Colin Kaepernick’s Upcoming Workout

The NFL will stage a workout for free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick on Saturday, and — as could have been expected — the event has already become something of a spectacle. We’ve since learned that Kaepernick himself didn’t even know about the audition until the league informed him of it earlier this week, while the NFL is unwilling to budge on date, time, or location.

Here’s more on Kaepernick’s upcoming tryout:

  • The league originally contacted Kaepernick and his camp on Tuesday morning, and subsequently sent out a memo regarding the workout to all NFL teams on Tuesday night, per Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter thread). Because the NFL wanted to hold the workout at a team facility, a Saturday after a club had left for a road game presented the best option.
  • The audition is reportedly largely in response to teams reaching out to the league with interest in Kaepernick, according to Breer. While it may seem odd that clubs didn’t simply contact Kaepernick or his agents, Breer does offer one possible explanation: Kaepernick’s talks with the Seahawks and Ravens — both of whom expressed interest in recent years — ended poorly, so clubs could be “skittish” about negotiating with him.
  • While a late-season workout is certainly curious, it may create a chance for Kaepernick to have a six-week audition with a team with an eye towards 2020, per Breer. Moreover, teams that don’t have a spot for Kaepernick at the moment will at least be able to gather more info on him for a possible 2020 signing.
  • There is confusion as to whether the NFL promised to provide a list of attendees at the workout, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Some sources have told Schefter that Kaepernick was promised such a list, but the league is saying no indication to that effect was ever given.
  • The actual substance of the workout is still unknown as well, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. As of Wednesday night, it was unclear what Kaepernick will actually be doing throwing-wise at the audition, and the quarterback isn’t aware of who he will be throwing to.
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