Colin Kaepernick Makes Case for N.F.L. Return With Pop-Up Workouts

During a news conference March 16, Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll said — unprompted — that he thinks Kaepernick deserves a second shot in his first public comments since trading Wilson. At his workout a week later at Washington, Kaepernick told reporters that he spoke with Carroll and General Manager John Schneider and was hopeful for another audition in Seattle, which previously worked him out in 2017.

Wearing a black, sleeveless Nike shirt and shorts on Friday, Kaepernick threw for nearly two hours with about 20 other people at U.C.L.A. The velocity on his passes looked strong, albeit not against live competition, as he rolled out and zipped darts to receivers along the sidelines. He also placed nice touch on deep passes toward the end zone, but misfired on a pass that led a receiver too far to the left on a post route.

During breaks, Kaepernick acted as an informal coach to Justyn Martin, a freshman quarterback at U.C.L.A., who threw next to him during the session.

“There wasn’t a moment where he broke out of focus,” Martin said. “He was kind of the same person the whole workout. Just seeing how he conducts himself, how he sets the tempo and me getting to soak in all of his expertise, it was great.”

Henry Organ, a sports agent based in Oakland, Calif., said he received a call from a former colleague at Nike at 4 p.m. on Thursday asking if he could secure field access and potential receivers for Kaepernick’s workout the next day.

Organ immediately called a strength and conditioning coach at U.C.L.A., who offered up the school’s practice field and weight room. But with few student athletes on campus during spring break, Organ, with help from the Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens and Najee Lovett, a former player at Idaho, contacted pass catchers they knew in town who may be available. Kaepernick landed in Los Angeles around midnight on a commercial flight, slept in a nearby hotel and was ready to throw to whomever by Friday morning.

Organ said he was grateful to do what he could to help Kaepernick’s effort on short notice.

“Seeing a Black quarterback that’s still very talented, I feel like I did my part in history,” he said. “I can’t make him perform. I can’t make a team sign him.”