Love him or hate him, news about controversial former 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick is rarely boring. This time it’s also the kind of news that might piss off his haters in a huge way.
TMZ posted a video Wednesday featuring Mark Geragos—Kaepernick’s celebrity attorney. Geragos certainly hinted his client is poised for a comeback, with at least two major teams considering bringing him on board.
If you’ve been living under a rock the news might be meaningless. But it’s a big deal, given that Kaepernick became persona non grata to the NFL two years ago after he began kneeling during the national anthem to draw attention to police abuse of young black men.
The level of controversy sparked by Kaepernick’s protest makes the teams Geragos hinted at surprising.
Claiming he couldn’t name-drop due to attorney-client privilege, Geragos nevertheless gave some pointed hints that might be obvious to anyone who closely follow news about the NFL:
“If Al Davis was still alive—that’s all I’m gonna say.”
Al Davis was the co-owner and general manager of the Oakland Raiders for 39 years and he died seven years ago.
Geragos also asked the TMZ correspondent if he knew “who Meek Mill was visited by when he was in custody.” That was Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots.
The inescapable conclusion, of course, is the Raiders and the Pats are, at minimum, curious.
Of course, Kaepernick hasn’t been quiet since he left the 49ers.
He’s concentrated on philanthropy and activism and most recently, Nike unveiled a new ad campaign fronted by Kaepernick.
That campaign sent the company’s sales through the roof. And that was despite the fact many who have interpreted Kaepernick’s protest as being anti-American elected burn their Nike products on camera. See just one example below.
Mark Geragos has been representing celebs like Chris Brown and Michael Jackson for years. He knows how to court attention and probably enjoys it—but as an attorney he knows it’d be bad for him to hype without something backing it up.
There’s a good chance, then, that something’s up with Kaepernick. If we had to guess between the teams Geragos hinted at, we’d say the Raiders are more likely to sign him.
New England is characterized by the tight-lipped style of Bill Belichick and—especially after the Aaron Hernandez saga—a need to avoid drama of any kind. It’d be shocking to see Kaepernick end up there.
But who knows? Right now it’s just Kaepernick and his attorney. Whoever takes him, it’ll be big, controversial news.