Getty Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels.
This season’s Las Vegas Raiders team is really difficult to gauge. They have moments of brilliance followed by moments of complete incompetence. There may have been enough bad things to happen this season that sweeping changes are on the way already regardless of what happens in the coming weeks but quarterback Derek Carr has to do what he can to get the team in a better spot down the stretch.
The Raiders gave Carr a contract extension this past offseason but could still get out of it once the season is over. He’s played well in spurts but his performance against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday was about as poorly as a quarterback can play. If he puts together more duds like that to end the season, Las Vegas may want to make a change at quarterback. It doesn’t help Carr that Tom Brady will be a free agent.
The future Hall of Famer spent most of his career working with Josh McDaniels. It would be an easy transition for him to join the Raiders. The Athletic’s Jeff Howe believes it’s certainly a possibility:
And then there’s Brady’s longtime offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and the Raiders. If Brady has concerns over the Bucs offense or adjusting to Shanahan’s complex scheme, he’d surely be attracted to the familiarity of McDaniels’ system. However, the Raiders absolutely must improve their offensive line, and they’ve got to be much better defensively to be viewed as a Super Bowl contender, so those might cause hesitation for Brady.
Would Brady Want to Join the Raiders?
If Brady decides to leave the Buccaneers this offseason, there likely won’t be a ton of teams looking to add him. He’ll be 46 years old when the 2023 season starts and this hasn’t been his best year. It’ll take a very specific team to make it work with Brady. The Raiders and San Francisco 49ers are two teams that come to mind.
The 49ers have a Super Bowl roster that is stacked with talent on both sides of the ball. He’d be able to play closer to home and get coached by one of the best offensive minds in the NFL in Kyle Shanahan. However, are they ready to give up on Trey Lance already? That remains to be seen. The Raiders roster isn’t nearly as strong as San Francisco’s but it’s already known that he was ready to play in Las Vegas before former head coach Jon Gruden backed out, according to UFC president Dana White. Brady would be able to play with Davante Adams, Darren Waller, Josh Jacobs and Hunter Renfrow while reuniting with a coach whom he has a great relationship with. The Raiders aren’t a perfect situation for him but they might be the most logical.
Tom Brady has 71 touchdowns and zero… ZERO interceptions in the redzone since joining the Bucs in 2020.
Do people realize how insane that is?
Would Raiders Want Brady?
Owner Mark Davis would almost certainly be into the idea of signing Brady. He’d love to have a superstar quarterback in his flashy new stadium. That said, Brady is very old for a football player and could retire any year. It’s still possible he retires after this season and this is all a moot point.
McDaniels loves Brady but he has to think beyond just one season. If the Raiders made this move, they would almost certainly need to draft a quarterback in hopes that they’d replace Brady in a season or two. Carr is only 31 and could play for a long time. If McDaniels is confident he can’t get Carr in a better place after the season, it would be wise to not make a drastic move that could have serious long-term implications if it fails.