Getty Tom Brady with Josh McDaniels.
Prior to retiring on February 1, it seemed like there was a very strong chance Tom Brady would reunite with Josh McDaniels on the Las Vegas Raiders. The quarterback was coming off of a disappointing season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a fresh start with a familiar coach seemed like a logical move. However, he decided it was time to hang up the cleats and he says it is for good.
Brady has already retired once last year but that only lasted several weeks before he changed his mind. Despite the fact that he’ll be 46 when the 2023 season starts, there’s still speculation that he’ll come out of retirement and play again. McDaniels is very close with Brady and they regularly communicate. Last year, the coach suggested that the quarterback might come out of retirement before he made the announcement. McDaniels now thinks that Brady is officially done playing football.
“I think he’s at peace,” McDaniels said of Brady during a February 28 interview with NFL Network.
“We’re both at stages of our life where there’s other things beyond football that we have to consider,” McDaniels added. “Tom has been a great father, a great friend, a great player for a long time. He’s going to do what he needs to do right now that’s in the best interest for him and his family.”
Josh McDaniels says Tom Brady really means it this time. He’s not coming back. @nflnetwork
Is Brady Actually Done for Good?
Brady may have been the oldest player in the NFL last season but he was still playing at a high level. He threw for 4,694 passing yards and 25 touchdowns. It was a down year by his standards but he was still one of the 10 best quarterbacks in the NFL. Even at 46, he’d still be a solid quarterback for the Raiders or any team with a need at the position to have.
It doesn’t appear that anybody is banking on him returning to football. Brady is more accomplished than any player in NFL history. He solidified himself as the greatest quarterback ever when he led the Buccaneers to a 2020 Super Bowl win. There’s nothing left for him to prove. Now, he is a single man following his high-profile divorce from Gisele Bundchen. There isn’t much holding him back from continuing to play. Regardless, he seems content and ready to move on to the next chapter.
McDaniels Seems to Prefer Adding Young QB
Even if Brady was available, the Raiders may not have actually tried to sign him. The team needs a long-term solution at quarterback following the release of longtime starter Derek Carr. Some comments from McDaniels would suggest that the plan is for the Raiders to add a young quarterback this offseason.
“The goal for us, eventually, is to have somebody that’s going to be here for a long time,” McDaniels said during a press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine. “You see the teams that are having success right now in our league, our conference and specifically in our division, they’re young players that were drafted by their clubs and they’re being developed there under the same continuity.”
The Raiders are armed with the No. 7 pick in the first round, which will put them in a position to draft a quarterback. However, they could even look further into the draft to add a piece.