Oakland Raiders: Relax,Colin Kaepernick Is Not Coming Across The Bay

The Oakland Raiders, if you believe the suggestions of some, are “very interested” in bringing in soon to be San Francisco 49ers castoff Colin Kaepernick to the East Bay. Relax Raider Nation, it’s not going to happen.

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The MMQB’s Peter King recently penned a column that briefly set the Internet ablaze with rumors and speculation. In his column, King wrote about talking to a few league sources about possible landing spots for Kaepernick if and when the 49ers trade or release him.

Inexplicably, he included the Raiders on that list of four teams which included the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, and Baltimore Ravens. And predictably, articles began appearing all over the Internet making it sound as if the Raiders were on the verge of pulling the trigger on a deal and bringing Kaepernick to the Silver and Black.

And depending on which article you were reading, the “news” was greeted with either excitement or dismay. Yes, believe it or not, there still those out there not sold on Derek Carr, are calling for Matt McGloin to be the starter, and would view Kaepernick as an upgrade.

To put that in context, there are people who believe that you can buy timeshares on Mars, that alien lizard people live in the Earth’s core and are controlling the planet’s governmental systems, and the moon is made of green cheese.

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To understand why King included the Raiders on the list of teams Kaepernick might find employment with – well, okay, there really is no understanding his logic. But his reasoning that some are clinging to for making the case that the Raiders should bring Kaepernick in is – well – reasoning that might have made sense back in 2011 and not today.

From King’s column:

"“Oakland. But as a backup only, obviously, and that would only be if no team would be interested in Kaepernick as a starter or to compete for a starting job. Why the Raiders? Because not long before Al Davis died, he hosted Kaerpernick for a pre-draft visit, and the Raiders likely would have picked Kaepernick if the 49ers didn’t trade ahead of them to pick him during the 2011 draft. “Al was upset,” Hue Jackson, the coach at the time, told me a couple of years ago. “So was I. Scouting him, I fell in love with the kid.” I hear some in the building still like Kaepernick and think he can be saved, but again, Derek Carr’s their guy, and the only way this works is if there are no starting prospects elsewhere.”"

King at least acknowledges that Kaepernick would only serve as a backup option only. At least King acknowledges that Carr is Oakland’s quarterback of the future and isn’t suggesting that Kaepernick could supplant him. Oh, if only everybody could see it that way.

The idea that the Raiders would bring Kaepernick in as even a backup quarterback is ridiculous. Especially given the fact that his performance has absolutely cratered this season. He’s been a train wreck under center and has some serious issues he’s going to need to work out before he’s useful to anybody as even a clipboard holder.

Oakland has a solid backup in McGloin. He’s a restricted free agent after this season, but he’s one that the Raiders will very likely attempt to keep. He likely won’t cost them very much, he knows the system, and he has proven to be very capable in a pinch. At this stage of the game, McGloin is a far, far, far better option than Kaepernick. Even as a backup.

Bringing Kaepernick to Oakland makes absolutely no sense on any level. He’s tremendously athletic, to be sure. And he can make some plays with his legs. But he struggles mightily with reading defenses, his judgment – not to mention his accuracy – are questionable at best, and he often makes poor decisions with the football.

The Raiders had that guy once, but thankfully they shipped Terrelle Pryor out of town. Why bring him back in the form of Kaepernick?

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The Raiders have ninety-nine problems, but their quarterback isn’t one. Neither is their backup. Their focus this offseason should – and will – be fixing what’s broken in their secondary. It most certainly won’t be in bringing in a quarterback who needs to fix what’s broken in his own head.

Despite the call by some to bring Kaepernick in – not to mention King ridiculously including Oakland on a list of potential landing spots – it’s just not going to happen. This is not 2011, Al Davis and Hue Jackson are both gone, and the Raiders are a much different organization – one who already has a franchise quarterback.