Quick hits
Goodwin weighs in on Kaepernick’s NFL workout
SANTA CLARA — Marquise Goodwin is “praying for the best” now that former San Francisco 49ers teammate Colin Kaepernick can work out in front of an NFL-arranged audience Saturday in Atlanta.
“That’s dope, man. That’s cool,” Goodwin said Wednesday at his 49ers locker. “I know for sure he wants to play ball.”
Kaepernick’s last play in the NFL came way back in the 2016 49ers’ season finale, and his final snap resulted in a 9yard touchdown pass to Garrett Celek, with 5:42 remaining in a 25-23 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Kaepernick turned 32 on Nov. 3, and he settled a lawsuit in February after claiming NFL teams colluded to keep him out of the league based on his social-equality activism.
He went 28-30 as the 49ers’ starting quarterback from November 2012 through the 2016 season, plus a 4-2 playoff record that included a Super Bowl XLVII defeat to Baltimore and road wins at Atlanta, Green Bay and Carolina.
“I’ve been in shape and ready for this for three years,” Kaepernick tweeted. “Can’t wait to see the head coaches and GMs on Saturday.”
That latter part might be a jab at the fact head coaches and general managers around the league are likely too busy on a Saturday in Week 11 of the season to travel to Atlanta for the workout, which the NFL reportedly sprung on him Tuesday.
It’s unknown if the 49ers will send a representative to the workout. Not only do they have a three-quarterback stable led by Jimmy Garoppolo, the 49ers and Kaepernick parted ways in March 2017, when Kaepernick opted out of the final year of his contract before an anticipated release by the franchise.
Goodwin was among the 49ers who protested with Kaepernick in 2016 during the national anthem before games, and Goodwin continues to raise his fist during the anthem.
Asked if he perceives Saturday’s workout as a legitimate showcase for Kaepernick, Goodwin replied: “It’s not up to me to decide. All I know he’s getting an opp, and we’ll just see Saturday how that goes. I’m praying for the best for him. Good guy. I just hope he gets an opp.”
Former 49ers teammate Eric Reid called Kaepernick’s workout a “PR stunt.”
“At this point I’ll believe it when I see it. At this point it feels like a PR stunt,” Reid, now with the Carolina Panthers, told The Athletic. “Being that it’s on a Saturday, what decision makers are going to be able to attend the workout? The other strange thing is I saw teams were interested in Colin but reached out to the league about it.”
Since leaving the 49ers, Kaepernick has lived in the New York area, and he’s continued to host “Know Your Rights” clinics for inner-city youth.
“Every move the NFL has made to this point has been PR for them, has been disingenuous and I don’t think this is any different” said Reid, who worked out with Kaepernick at Cal State East Bay in Hayward in May 2018. Kaepernick was traveling around the country and sitting in on depositions related to the collusion case that Reid also joined.