Colin Kaepernick has practised with an NFL team for the first time since the 2016 season. But after a five-year career hiatus, does he really have a chance to make a comeback?

Munich – 1971 days have passed since Colin Kaepernick played his last game in the NFL. He never lost sight of his goal to be active on the field again. Now he seems to be closer to a comeback than ever before.

According to information from “ESPN”, the 34-year-old took part in a team training session with the Las Vegas Raiders on Wednesday. It is the first time the playmaker has practised with an NFL team again as an unsigned player. The quarterback last paid a visit to the Seattle Seahawks in May 2017, but they decided against signing him.

Does he now really have a realistic chance of returning to game action with the Las Vegas Raiders?

The franchise has no real need. Derek Carr looks back on a remarkable season with 4804 passing yards and has signed a mega contract for another three years for 121.5 million US dollars. It keeps him under contract through the 2025 season.

In Nick Mullens and Jarrett Stidham there are also two backups who have already played several games in the NFL. Add to that the undrafted rookie Chase Garbers from the California Golden Bears.

But why did the Raiders invite Kaepernick to practice if they don’t need a new quarterback in the first place?

Kaepernick at Raiders: QB knows OC Lombardi from 49ers days

One reason could be the personal connection between Kaepernick and Mick Lombardi, the Raiders’ offensive coordinator. The latter went through several coaching positions with the San Francisco 49ers from 2013 to 2016, including offensive assistant and offensive quality control coach, and thus worked closely with Kaepernick.

It’s quite possible that he made a strong case for the former companion.

In addition, the Raiders are in desperate need of good publicity after the scandals last season. The racism scandal of former coach Jon Gruden and the accident drama involving Henry Ruggs cast a bad light on the franchise.

Now giving a player who fell out of favour because of his protests against racism a chance does this team’s public image good.

Owner Davis family often gave minorities a chance

In addition, for many years it was part of the self-image of the Davis family to give minorities and those who were discriminated against a chance.

Al Davis, father of current owner Mark Davis, who died in 2011, hired the first black head coach in the NFL, Art Shell, and the first female general manager, Amy Trask. Davis was also the first team owner to draft a black quarterback in the first round in Eldridge Dickey and install a Hispanic head coach in Tom Flores.

Carl Nassib, who was the first active NFL player to admit his homosexuality, was also under contract with the Raiders at the time.

Nevertheless, the question remains: Is the training with the Raiders merely a PR campaign or a real opportunity?

If Kaepernick really is a candidate for the Raiders, he could probably compete for the backup role at best. Carr is not to be ousted after showing strong leadership qualities in a difficult past season.

But is it worth installing a player as media-savvy as “Kap” as a backup?

Kaepernick could bring a lot of money into the coffers

The quarterback himself debunks the prejudice that he could provide too much of a distraction. “In the 2016 season, my senior year, my teammates voted me the most courageous and inspirational player,” Kaepernick told the “I Am Athlete” podcast as recently as April.

He continued, “So when you talk about people being in the building, it never came down to me being a distraction. It was never an issue of me being a problem for the people I was playing with.”

Substantive differences between him and the NFL shouldn’t exist anyway, according to Kaepernick: “You have ‘End Racism’ written in the back of your end zone. They (the players) have ‘Black Lives Matter’ on their helmets. Everything I said should be in line with what they’re saying publicly now.”

What’s more, Kaepernick says he would not only be a sporting asset, but also a financial one: “It’s a $16 billion business. When I first took a knee, my jersey went to No. 1. When I did the deal with Nike, their value went up six billion dollars.”

So if a team does decide to go with Kaepernick, it could be for economic reasons. Whether the Raiders seize the opportunity or another NFL team, however, is another matter.