Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said Tuesday he endorsed the team bringing Colin Kaepernick in for a workout last month.
Carr has known Kaepernick dating back to their days in the Western Athletic Conference and then as the starting quarterbacks of the two Bay Area NFL teams when Kaepernick was leading the 49ers.
“I’ve loved my time with him,” Carr said. “I think he’s a great guy and great to be around.
“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.”
Coach Josh McDaniels didn’t discuss how Kaepernick’s workout went at the time, but insisted Carr’s job as the starter was locked in and Kaepernick was seen as a potential depth option.
Carr was kept in the loop about the situation.
“Josh told me they were doing it and I literally said the same things I’m telling you,” Carr said after a mandatory minicamp practice at the team facility. “I enjoyed my time around him, I love him. Him and I would get along great.”
Kaepernick has been essentially blackballed from the league after his on-field protests for social justice. He hasn’t played in a game since 2016 and wasn’t signed by the Raiders after his workout.
Carr believes Kaepernick would have been welcomed into the locker room had management made the decision to offer him a contract.
“For us, I think it would be great,” Carr said. “I don’t want to speak for everybody in that kind of sense, but I know him and I would get along great. I know we have in the past and I think we would again. … I think for the most part he’d get along just fine with our guys.”
Carr was not present when Kaepernick worked out for the team.
“They did it in the afternoon and I was already on the golf course with my two older sons,” he said.
Perfect attendance
Under the CBA, players are fined nearly $100,000 for missing the three-day camp. That won’t be a concern for the Raiders.
McDaniels indicated all players were present in the facility Tuesday, though not everyone practiced.
“Everybody’s here,” he said. “It’s a mandatory session, so that’s what we would anticipate. But everyone’s here and excited, at least that’s what it sounded like this morning in the meeting. Eager to work and get an opportunity.”
According to the first-year coach, running back Josh Jacobs was in the building even though he was not spotted on the field. Several other players were also inside for the on-field work.
Second-year linebacker Divine Deablo was on the field in a red non-contact jersey and appeared to have a wrap on his right forearm.
“We’re just trying to be smart,” McDaniels said. “There are some guys dealing with some little things here and there. We just try to make sure we’re smart with those guys, especially if there’s something where they can get some value in being out there, but we also don’t want anybody to accidentally do something they shouldn’t do. I think we’re doing a really good job of staying off the ground. There’s no piles, no collisions. We’re doing all that stuff right.”
During minicamp, teams are permitted to do a little bit more than during voluntary OTAs, meaning the players were able to be in the facility in the afternoon to go over tape from the morning and make corrections.
New face
The Raiders added Jesper Horsted to their tight end room Tuesday, signing the free-agent to a deal. Terms were not disclosed.
The former Princeton standout has appeared in 13 games over three seasons in the Bears organization, catching 10 passes for 108 yards and three touchdowns.
Contact Adam Hill at [email protected]. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.
