Getty Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis.
After years of speculation that the Las Vegas Raiders would move on from Derek Carr under Jon Gruden, the team finally made a commitment to him and signed him to a three-year contract extension this offseason. One of the most popular quarterback rumors involving the Raiders was back in 2020 when Tom Brady was a free agent. The future Hall of Famer was heavily linked to the team before signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady briefly retired after the 2022 season but decided to come back after a couple of months away. This had led to speculation that he won’t be staying in Tampa Bay past this season. While the Raiders made a commitment to Carr this offseason, the ties between Brady and head coach Josh McDaniels are very strong.
Some recent pictures will only add fuel to the idea that the quarterback could be eyeing the Raiders. Team owner Mark Davis was seen palling around with Brady at a recent WNBA game between the Connecticut Suns and Las Vegas Aces.
🏴☠️🏈🏀 Las Vegas Aces owner Mark Davis with family friend Jim Gray and that guy named Tom Brady at the Connecticut Suns vs Aces game. May 31, 2022
This led Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post to speculate that Brady could still reunite with McDaniels next season.
Keep in mind that Brady was seen hanging out with Davis at a UFC fight in Las Vegas two years ago and nothing came of it.
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Carr Isn’t Going Anywhere
Brady continues to defy father time at 44-years-old. Despite his age, he’s still playing like a top-five quarterback. It’s possible he still has another year or two left of elite play. However, is one year of Brady playing at an elite level worth giving up on a 31-year-old Carr? Perhaps it would be if Brady won a Super Bowl with the team but that’s unlikely.
Brady has already retired once and didn’t even make the NFC Championship game with a stacked Buccaneers roster last season. Obviously, he’s a better quarterback than Carr and is probably better than every other quarterback in NFL history. Carr would have to have a disastrous 2022 season for the Raiders to even entertain making a change at quarterback.
Carr Could Silence Doubters in 2022
Carr put together a gutsy 2021 season that saw him lead the Raiders to the playoffs despite the team dealing with chaos off the field. However, he only threw for 23 touchdowns to go with 14 interceptions. Those aren’t terrible stats but they also aren’t overly impressive.
2022 is shaping up to be a career year for Carr in a number of ways. He finally has a star wide receiver in Davante Adams. That’s not to mention that he already had Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow. Factor in that he has one of the best playcallers in the NFL in McDaniels and there’s no reason he shouldn’t light up the stat sheet this season. Carr is set up for more success than any other season in his career.
He can quiet the rumors about his future once and for all with a big season and a playoff win. Carr has everything working in his favor and he should take advantage of it while it lasts.
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