Report: More Than 24 Teams Expected at Colin Kaepernick’s Workout Saturday

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

On Thursday evening, the NFL announced that 11 teams had committed to attending Colin Kaepernick’s workout in Atlanta on Saturday. Less than a day later, that number has more than doubled.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, as of Friday evening, more than 24 teams are expected to attend the workout this weekend.

Kaepernick’s workout will be led by former Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders head coach Hue Jackson. The MMQB’s Albert Breer reported Thursday that Jackson evaluated the former 49ers quarterback while he was still a draft prospect coming out of the University of Nevada.

Jackson said that before the 2011 draft, he and late Oakland owner Al Davis "fell in love with the player and person."

"I wanted to draft him—he was the guy I wanted," Jackson told Breer. "Me and Al were plotting a way to get him, and we just couldn't quite figure a way to pull it off.”

Kaepernick's team initially pushed to try and schedule the workout on a Tuesday or next Saturday, but the league refused without a reason.

The league informed teams of Kaepernick's workout on Tuesday just hours after Kaepernick's representatives were notified and given two hours to respond.

Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid criticized the league for scheduling the workout on a Saturday, when travel or game planning commitments may be prioritized by teams.

Kaepernick has not played in the league since Jan. 1, 2017, and opted out of his contract with the 49ers in March 2017. He has not tried out for an NFL team since becoming a free agent. Kaepernick famously kneeled during the national anthem before games to protest racial injustice and police violence against people of color. He later filed a grievance against the league in October 2017 and accused owners of blackballing him but reached a settlement in February 2019.

"I've been in shape and ready for this for 3 years, can't wait to see the head coaches and GMs on Saturday," Kaepernick tweeted on Tuesday.

“Tremendous person, and a great player,” Jackson told Breer. “He had the skills to throw it, to run it, there was nothing he couldn’t do on the football field. And the guy played in a Super Bowl. Hopefully, we can showcase that talent out there on Saturday.”