Getty Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.
UFC President Dana White recently dropped a bombshell when he revealed that the Las Vegas Raiders had a deal in place to sign Tom Brady when he was a free agent in 2020. It wasn’t the first time the two sides were linked but it was the first time that there was confirmation that a deal was close to happening. Then-head coach Jon Gruden decided to pull out of the deal and stuck with Derek Carr at quarterback.
The following year, Brady was a guest on “The Shop” and spoke about one of the teams that bailed on him and took a shot at their quarterback.
“One of the teams, they weren’t interested at the very end. I was thinking, ‘You’re sticking with that motherf***er?’” Brady said.
The exact quarterback Brady was talking about has been the subject of much speculation. Everybody from Ryan Tannehill to Jimmy Garoppolo has been mentioned as the possible culprit. Recently, former Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said that he believes he was the one Brady was referencing. However, the future Hall of Famer came out and denied that he was talking about Fitzpatrick. The recent Raiders rumors dropped by White coupled with Brady ruling out Fitzpatrick has led many to accept that the quarterback was likely talking about Carr. In fact, Pat McAfee believes that this recent development confirms in his mind that Brady was taking a shot at Carr.
“Tom Brady has come out and said nah nah it ain’t [Fitzpatrick], so yes yes it is Derek Carr. … Derek Carr remains suspect No. 1 to be that motherf***er that Tom Brady will never forget,” McAfee said on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
Does It Matter Who Brady Was Referencing?
It’s odd that this storyline still has juice over a year later. At the end of the day, Brady is never going to confirm who he was talking about while he’s still playing. He may never confirm. It also doesn’t really matter who he was referencing.
Brady is the greatest quarterback in NFL history. He’d likely take himself over almost any other quarterback in the league. It’s very possible that he was talking about Carr but that doesn’t automatically mean he’s a terrible quarterback. He’s widely regarded as one of the 12 best at the position in the NFL. He’s no Brady but he’s also over a decade younger. He has a lot of football ahead of him while Brady could be in his last year.
Carr Still Adapting to Josh McDaniels’ System
Interestingly enough, Carr is now working under Josh McDaniels, who worked with Brady for a decade with the New England Patriots. The early goings have been rough for Carr and the Raiders as they have started the season 0-2. That could have to do with the complexity of McDaniels’ system. Carr recently spoke on how he’s still trying to get fully comfortable in the system.
“I feel so much more comfortable than I did, like, a month ago,” Carr said Wednesday.
“I mean, when you get out there and you do it, it’s different from the sideline. Training camp’s different, right? There’s a different clock in the game because now I’m getting hit. I can turn the film on and I have experience from that point of view, in the system. I have experience hearing his voice, knowing what [McDaniels] wants me to get to. … I want to go to exactly what he wants. … That’s going to grow, obviously, but small sample size, first two games. Hopefully, I’m doing some of those things where [McDaniels is] like, ‘Yup, that’s what I thought. Next play.'”