With the NFL Combine in full swing, Tom Brady rumors have flooded the news stream. There have been reports indicating that there’s a real shot he’s about to leave the New England Patriots. While there’s still plenty of time before free agency officially begins, Brady reportedly already has a number of suitors.
According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, count the Las Vegas Raiders among them:
Both Raiders general manager Mike Mayock and coach Jon Gruden gave [Derek] Carr votes of confidence this week, but the Raiders are definitely in play for Brady. It may not be logical, given all the young players that would have to learn a new offense for someone with maybe two years left, but again this is Brady, and Gruden would make it work.
Mayock and Gruden would never say this, but the thinking is that they would gladly swap out a 29-year-old Carr for a 43-year-old Brady.
This is far from the first rumor that has connected Brady to the Raiders and is unlikely to be the last. However, Tafur is one of the most well-connected insiders within the Raiders organization, so if he’s reporting something, it’s very likely true. Based on what he’s saying, it’s possible Brady has already gotten the ball rolling on a potential deal:
Brady’s people reached out to the Raiders — and also the Chargers, according to the NFL Network — in Indianapolis, but I am told it was more of a touching-base call than a discussion of intent or a start of negotiations. Brady can sign with a new team on March 18, when free agency starts. There was some talk of having interested teams come visit him then, but it sounds like Brady wants to get a head start on this and move quickly.
It’s sounding like the ball is in Brady’s court. If what Tafur is saying is true, the Raiders are going to at least try to acquire the future Hall of Famer. He has a number of other suitors that could possibly provide him a more appealing situation, but Las Vegas is definitely in the mix.
Raiders Want Second-Round Pick for Derek Carr
If the Raiders are planning on going after Brady, that means they need to move on from current starting quarterback Derek Carr. Tafur thinks he knows the team’s asking price:
That would also help teams like the Raiders, who would prefer to trade Carr before free agency for maximum value. The Raiders are not shopping Carr, but they have placed him in the window with a pretty display. I think a second-round pick gets it done.
It’s highly unlikely the Raiders decide to trade Carr before they have some kind of commitment from Brady. The other quarterbacks in free agency don’t inspire a lot of confidence and Carr is probably a better option than all of them. It’s starting to seem like there’s a real shot that Carr is playing for another team in 2020.
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Raiders Don’t Have Much Interest in Philip Rivers
One rumor that was floating around is that the Raiders could make a run at Philip Rivers. On the surface, that would make absolutely no sense for the team and Tafur isn’t buying that there’s any real interest:
There was some serious smoke about Rivers and the Raiders the first couple nights in Indianapolis, but upon closer inspection, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of fire there. Gruden loves Rivers, but the 38-year-old version with no mobility and a throw-it-up-for-grabs mentality would really turn Gruden into Chucky.
Especially if Rivers is looking for even half of the reported $30 million per that Brady is seeking.
Raider fans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the possibility of Rivers playing for the silver and black isn’t very high. Even if the team traded Carr, but didn’t get Brady, adding Rivers would be a huge mistake.
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Raiders Insider Drops Telling Tom Brady & Derek Carr Updates