There will be no shortage of suitors for Tom Brady when free agency begins, but the Raiders are a new team being mentioned as a possible landing spot for the legendary Patriots quarterback. NBC Sports’ Peter King suggested that Raiders head coach Jon Gruden going after Brady makes some sense.
“My personal darkhorse, by the way: the Las Vegas (nee Oakland) Raiders,” King noted. “Jon Gruden’s favorite quarterback is always the one he doesn’t have. No clue if he’s remotely interested, but my antennae would be up for the Raiders and Brady.”
It would be a bit of irony for Gruden who admitted Brady is why he is coaching again rather than in the ESPN announcing booth. Gruden detailed his thoughts to Bleacher Report about how Brady has tortured him over his coaching career.
“He can’t run, can’t jump, he’s too old,” Gruden joked in a 2018 Bleacher Report interview. “He gets his ass knocked off. But he’s a Terminator. He ran me out of Oakland in the Tuck Game. Damn. He brought those bastards back in a two-minute drill to beat us in a driving snow. They didn’t do anything the whole night until the game was on the line. And here I am 20 years later, and guess who’s still there. That’s why I’m back.”
King Listed the Bears, Colts & Chargers As Additional Landing Spots for Brady
King also suggested a few more teams that make sense for Brady. The Bears, Colts and Chargers are three of the teams that King noted could have legs when it comes to landing Brady.
The Chargers might view Brady as the billboard to sell PSLs in new SoFi Stadium, opening next season. The Colts, assuming Andrew Luck stays retired, might view Brady as the on-field mentor for Jacoby Brissett for a year or two. Where else? John Elway seems to have his passer of the future in Drew Lock, so Denver’s doubtful, but Elway’s a home-run swinger. Tennessee is doubtful too, after the emergence of Ryan Tannehill, but with Patriot-bred Jon Robinson as GM and Belichick protégé Mike Vrabel as coach, never say never. Chicago should be interested, but two years of Brady would be the end of Mitchell Trubisky, which the brass there seems loathe to do. Carolina’s in flux.
Brady Admitted Retirement Is Unlikely
After the Patriots’ loss to the Titans, Brady was vague about his plans for next season. One thing Brady did admit was that retirement is an unlikely outcoming noting that he still wants to play next season. Brady called retirement “pretty unlikely” then added “hopefully unlikely,” per ESPN.
“I love the Patriots,” Brady noted, per ESPN. “It’s the greatest organization. Playing for Mr. [Robert] Kraft all these years, and for Coach [Bill] Belichick, there’s nobody who’s had a better career, I would say, than me — just being with them. So I’m very blessed. I don’t know what the future looks like, so I’m not going to predict it.”
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Tom Brady Linked to Raiders in Latest Free Agency Rumor