The Las Vegas Raiders‘ quarterback room is the strongest it has been in years. They have a proven veteran in Kirk Cousins, an exciting rookie in Fernando Mendoza and a solid young quarterback who has been with the team in Aidan O’Connell.
However, Tom Brady’s presence is still looming large over the franchise. While he has been happy to stay in the shadows in an advisory role, there’s always the possibility that he’ll still want to come out of retirement and play again.
If that happens, there would be a ton of complicating factors, and the Raiders would almost certainly be the team he has to play with. It is a very long shot that he’d actually attempt a comeback, but NFL.com’s Dan Parr is rooting for the Raiders to ditch Cousins and have Brady mentor Mendoza this season.
“If Philip Rivers can come back to play after spending four years out of the league, surely Brady can do the same after retiring three years ago, even if he is four years older than Rivers,” Parr wrote.
“First off, I don’t doubt Brady would do a respectable job this season as a 49-year-old, which is mind-boggling. I mean, the guy was the MVP runner-up at 44. Second, what better way for the Raiders minority owner to show No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza the ropes than as his teammate? Yes, I know league rules stipulate Brady would have to divest his ownership stake in the team before he returned, and the chances of that happening are slim to none, but a guy can dream, right? So, out of the way, Kirk Cousins. Let the G.O.A.T. do his thing.”
Brady Is Almost Certainly Done
It’s a fun idea to have Brady come out of retirement for one more season, but it’s just not feasible. If the Raiders were a quarterback away from competing for a Super Bowl, then it could at least be a conversation.
It’s hard to imagine Brady wants to play behind an offensive line that led the NFL in sacks allowed last season. The Raiders also might have the weakest wide receiver corps in the NFL on paper. Brady can still throw the football at an elite level, but he’s not going to be able to take the hits that he was able to in the past.
Who Will Start Week 1 For Raiders?
The Raiders brought in Cousins with the idea that he’ll likely start at the beginning of the 2026 season. Mendoza is the No. 1 pick, so it’ll be difficult to keep him off the field, but the team wants to make sure they bring him along slowly.
Reports out of OTAs suggest that Mendoza is still developing, and Cousins has mostly been taking the first-team reps. That’s not a surprise, as the Raiders want Mendoza to earn everything he gets.
Right now, it looks like Cousins is on track to be the starter in Week 1, but things could always change in training camp. Head coach Klint Kubiak even noted that O’Connell isn’t entirely out of the mix to start either.
Analyst Wants to See Raiders Replace Kirk Cousins With Legendary QB