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If there’s one player the Las Vegas Raiders fan base would like to see retire, it’s Tom Brady. Nobody has forgotten the infamous “Tuck Rule” game that ended the team’s Super Bowl hopes for the 2001 season. Brady is 6-1 in games against the Raiders, including the playoffs.
Despite being 44-years-old, the quarterback is still playing at an incredibly high level. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were bounced early in the playoffs this year and there have been rumors that Brady is considering retiring. He’s had a chance to approach the subject and has remained noncommital for next season.
Raiders defensive tackle Gerald McCoy wasn’t around for any of those losses to Brady and he doesn’t want to see the quarterback retire yet. He just wants one more season so that fans can send him off in the right way.
McCoy never played with Brady but he was a Buccaneer for nine seasons so he has fond feelings regarding the franchise. Raiders fans would love to see Brady stop playing but it would feel odd if he quit now. Perhaps he will put together a farewell tour next season.
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Could Brady Want out of Tampa Bay?
There’s a lot of momentum around the idea of Brady retiring. He’s done more than any other quarterback in NFL history and there’s nothing left to prove. Many already hail him as the greatest player ever. Nobody would fault him if he finally decided to end his career.
However, he could simply be seeing the writing on the walls in Tampa Bay. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio recently floated the idea that Brady might be leveraging his way out of Tampa Bay.
“Here’s another possibility, one that is pure speculation but can’t be ignored,” Florio wrote. “What if Brady is hoping to wiggle out of Tampa and go to a team that he thinks will be better suited to get him to his eighth Super Bowl win?”
The Buccaneers worked hard to bring back the entire team from the 2020 Super Bowl run. That clearly didn’t work out as they lost in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. If he doesn’t believe that he can win another Super Bowl in Tampa Bay, there’s no reason to continue playing there.
Who Would Be a Suitor for Brady?
If Brady has his eyes set on leaving the Buccaneers, he’ll want to play for a contender. Florio mentioned the San Francisco 49ers as a possibility. They have a young quarterback in Trey Lance but might not think he’s ready to take over the starting job next season. The 49ers are Super Bowl contenders right now with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback. Adding Brady could make them favorites to win it all next season.
San Francisco would make the most sense as the quarterback is from California and has stated he’d prefer to avoid living in cold weather again. Also, there doesn’t appear to be a great fit outside of the 49ers. In the end, it will most likely be the Buccaneers or nobody in 2022 for Brady.
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