Getty Antonio Pierce & Champ Kelly of the Las Vegas Raiders.
The AFC standings are a mess heading into Week 12, with seven of the conference’s 16 teams having five or six wins and no team yet eliminated from the AFC playoff picture. For example, the Las Vegas Raiders have a losing record (5-6) and the 12th seed but are only 1.5 games from holding the seventh and final playoff spot.
Given that the team’s quarterback play could be what’s holding them back, The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin floated the idea of Tom Brady coming out of retirement to play for the Raiders.
“Brady could do his part by signing with the Raiders,” Volin wrote in a November 21 sharing Brady’s comments to Stephen A. Smith a day earlier about the “mediocrity in today’s NFL.” Volin did not elaborate on the seriousness of his post.
Brady, who retired at age 45 from the NFL in February 2023, is in the process of landing an ownership stake in the Raiders, who have lacked consistent quarterback play in 2023.
Rookie Aidan O’Connell took over the starting job from veteran Jimmy Garoppolo on November 1 has thrown 6 interceptions to 3 touchdowns in his five appearances. Garoppolo, 32, led the league in interceptions before his benching.
Tom Brady Laments Level of Football Being Played
Brady followed up his “mediocrity” comment by telling Smith on the November 20 episode of “The Stephen A. Smith Show” by saying, “I don’t see the excellence that I saw in the past.”
Brady, who was drafted in 2020 and became the starting quarterback of the New England Patriots the following season, provided further insight into what he sees as the problem with the NFL in 2023.
“I don’t think the coaching is as good as it was,” he said. “I don’t think the development of the young players is as good as it was. The rules have allowed a lot of bad habits to get into the actual performance of the game. I just think the product, in my opinion, is less than what it’s been.”
Brady has been away from the NFL for less than a year but seems to be close observer of the league. Next season, he will be part of Fox’s broadcast team, calling games as the network’s No. 1 color analyst, according to USA Today.
Is Tom Brady Truly Done Playing?
Given the number of starting quarterbacks who are injured, the last seven weeks of the 2023 season would be a great time for Brady to make an epic comeback. The New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals are teams with good rosters that lost their quarterbacks — Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins and Joe Burrow, respectively — for the year. The Raiders are a team with talent that really needs a quarterback.
Brady already has a relationship with Raiders owner Mark Davis.
Brady could come in and save the day for a number of teams, which would only add to his legacy as a future Hall of Famer if it were to go well. That said, if he hasn’t returned at this point, it’s looking like he might truly be done playing. He’s said before that he would only come out of retirement once and it looks like he may have been telling the truth.