Considering he's set to make $13.9 million next season, it's unlikely that the San Francisco 49ers will be able to find any takers on a trade for recently IR-ed quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Instead, it's likely that if - though it seems more a case of "when" at this late juncture - Kaepernick is jettisoned in the offseason by the only franchise he's ever known, he'll be cut outright, saving the Niners the hassle of haggling over the price of an asset no one really wants to pay for. If (see: when) Kaep is let go, it sounds like there will be at least a few teams who will have interest in the former Super Bowl-caliber signal-caller. And while the usual suspects are likely to be interested - The Phightin Chip Kelly's, the suddenly Gangrenous Jets - a surprise team was added to Sports Illustrated's Peter King's list of franchises those in and around the NFL believe will have at least some level of interest in Kaepernick - none other than the Oakland Raiders.
Per King, the Raiders, led by late owner Al Davis, were "high" on Kaepernick in the 2011 NFL Draft and would have selected him had their Bay Area brethren, the Niners, not jumped ahead of them and taken Kaep themselves. Even now, with Davis gone and a new regime in place, led by head coach Jack Del Rio and a guy who looks very much like a franchise quarterback of the present and future, Derek Carr, King reports that there are some within the Raiders building who "still like Kaepernick and think he can be saved."
As an aside, if that sounds familiar, it's because Oakland parroted a very similar line when they added another troubled Niners castoff, linebacker Aldon Smith, just prior to this season.
Back to Kaepernick, It would be an interesting addition were it to actually happen. Carr, though he struggled through a difficult game against the Lions on Sunday, has very much looked the part of a franchise quarterback through 26 games as the Raiders starter. He's thrown for 5,835 yards, 42 touchdowns and 18 interceptions for a career quarterback rating of 84.9. Through 10 games of this season, his rating is 99.4.
So, the notion that Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie and Del Rio would considering adding Kaepernick truly is a surprising one. Kaep has taken a big step back in recent seasons, finishing what could be his last season with San Francisco with 144 completions, 1,615 yards, six touchdowns, five interceptions and a 78.5 rating. There have also been a number of reports alleging that he'd alienated teammates and lost the Niners locker room.
In the end, even if the Raiders were to add Kaep, it likely wouldn't have much effect on Carr or the starting offense, barring a catastrophic injury of some kind. But if the Raiders really believe Kaepernick can be salvaged - and there's a lot to like there, talent-wise - they could certainly do worse in terms of a back-up quarterback and, if all goes well in his reclamation, even a possible trade piece in the future.
