Getty UFC President Dana White.
After 22 long years, Tom Brady’s career in the NFL is over. The future Hall of Fame quarterback recently announced his retirement and barring a change, it should be permanent. While there are plenty of fans who are happy to see him go, there were many who were hoping he’d play a little longer. UFC president Dana White wanted to see the quarterback keep going but not with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
White, a lifelong New England Patriots fan, wasn’t even looking for Brady to return to his former team. He was hoping to see the quarterback join the Las Vegas Raiders. He was even reaching out to Brady trying to convince him.
“I was firing texts to him and he sent very cryptic text messages,” White told TMZ. “He had me thinking he wasn’t going to retire. So, you know what I was doing? I was hammering him to come to Vegas and play for the Raiders.”
Obviously, that’s off the table now with Brady retiring. The quarterback was heavily rumored to be joining the Raiders during the 2020 offseason but that didn’t end up happening.
Dana White wanted Tom Brady to play one more season — and to do it for the Las Vegas Raiders.
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Things Could’ve Gotten Interesting
Had Brady been a free agent or not retired, things would’ve gotten interesting. The Raiders just hired former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as head coach. Brady and the coach formed a close friendship over the years and won six Super Bowls together. McDaniels may have been excited about the idea of reuniting with the quarterback now that he’s a head coach.
That’s off the table now but it would’ve been a huge storyline this offseason. As noted earlier, the Raiders were heavily linked to Brady a couple of years ago but chose not to pursue him. McDaniels probably could’ve convinced owner Mark Davis to make the move even with Brady turning 45 before the start of next season.
Raiders Appear Set With Derek Carr in 2022
Until Derek Carr signs a contract extension, the Raiders will be involved in quarterback rumors. They have been rumored to be making a change every offseason since Jon Gruden took over in 2018. Now that McDaniels is in charge, the rumors will continue for the time being.
The new coach has had nothing but good things to say about Carr so far. He appears excited about working with a solid veteran quarterback. Big names like Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers and Deshaun Watson could be on the move this offseason but Carr is in the mold of the type of quarterback McDaniels likes to work with. He’s always had success with cerebral quarterbacks who do their best work in the pocket. Carr would certainly fall in that category. The only reason the Raiders wouldn’t want to bring him back is if he asks for too much money. The team might be apprehensive to give him close to $40 million a year. If they can convince him to take something closer to $30 million a year, the team should be thrilled.
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