Getty New England Patriots QB Tom Brady.
It may have seemed like the most unlikely thing imaginable, but many in the media are starting to suggest that Tom Brady could be playing for the Raiders in 2020. The 42-year old quarterback seemed like he was destined to end up a New England Patriots lifer. However, it’s looking like things could change after one of the most disappointing seasons in his historic career.
While the Patriots could easily return to championship form in 2020, it’s becoming possible that they try to do it without Brady. If he were to leave, there are bound to be a number of teams interested in his services despite his age. NFL insider Jay Glazer wrote a piece for The Athletic where he pegged the Raiders or Los Angeles Chargers as potential destinations:
“A lot of people think that he’s going to go back to the Patriots and it would certainly fit but I think they have to pay him. If I’m a team like the Raiders or the Chargers and I need to fill up my stadium and my fanbase, I am absolutely, without a doubt, going to go and say, ‘Mr. Brady, here’s the offense. You tell us what the offense is. You help devise it and Mr. Brady, here’s our checkbook. You fill it out’.
I know it’s going to be hard for Jon Gruden to do that but he’s the greatest quarterback in the history of the NFL, the most marketable guy there is. He’s a gamechanger for a franchise. Season tickets. Marketing. I would open up my checkbook for him if I was a team like the Chargers or the Raiders, who are moving to Las Vegas, and especially if I want him to teach a young quarterback how to be a quarterback. I think it’s a no-brainer — you pay the man.”
The Raiders have a starting quarterback in Derek Carr, so it’s interesting that a number of insiders are pegging the silver and black as Brady’s next team. That said, it still seems like a longshot.
Tom Brady Is ‘Highly Unlikely’ to Go to Raiders
The season just barely ended for Brady and it’s highly unlikely that he thought he wouldn’t still be making a run at another Super Bowl this season. Despite all the speculation, nobody knows exactly what Brady is going to do, not even the quarterback himself. Greg A. Bedard of the Las Vegas Review-Journal called it “highly unlikely” that Brady plays in Las Vegas come 2020, but acknowledged that there could some appeal there:
“While I’ve been told by people in the Brady camp that his next market would have to be major — we’re talking Los Angeles, New York, Chicago … maybe Miami because his TB12 Sports brand is very important to him — I think there’s enough to sell Brady on Vegas considering the proximity to Los Angeles and his parents in San Mateo, California.”
However, Bedard noted how quarterbacks have a hard time transitioning into Jon Gruden’s offenses and that it usually takes at least a year. Brady will be 44 when the 2021 season starts. Are the Raiders willing to risk their next couple of seasons on an aging quarterback who is coming off one of his least impressive seasons?
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Is Tom Brady Even Better Than Derek Carr at This Point?
It may be incredibly controversial to even ask, but is Brady even better than Carr at this point in his career. If you look at the numbers, they’re very similar in touchdowns, interceptions and yards. However, Carr had a much better completion percentage and passer rating in 2019. Obviously, Brady at his best is on another planet than Carr at his best, but the latter is 14 years younger.
The Raiders built their roster around youth in 2019 and it paid off big-time. Throwing in one of the oldest players in the NFL to lead the team makes very little sense. The team is better off looking to the draft or sticking with Carr in 2020.
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NFL Insider Links Patriots’ Tom Brady to Raiders