Coming off a miserable six-win season, the Las Vegas Raiders are going to be the talk of the NFL rumor mill this coming spring.
First-year head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler made the decision to bench longtime quarterback Derek Carr late during the season. Carr will not be back with the Raiders for a 10th season.
While there’s a lot of holes this team must fill on both sides of the ball in order to return to playoff contention, it starts at the all-important quarterback position.
Like clockwork, Vegas continues to be linked to seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady on a near never-ending loop. We now have more on this courtesy of CBS Sports NFL insider Josina Anderson. She indicates that the Raiders are expected to “explore the Tom Brady option” as one of the paths forward at quarterback.
Vegas is seen as the betting favorite to land Brady once NFL free agency opens up in March. The team was close to signing him ahead of the 2020 season before then-head coach Jon Gruden nixed the deal.
Meanwhile, both McDaniels and Ziegler have a built-in relationship with the all-time great dating back to their days together with the New England Patriots.
Related: 5 non-quarterback needs for the Las Vegas Raiders
Mixed feelings surrounding Tom Brady and the Las Vegas Raiders
If Brady opts to return for another season, he’ll be 46 by the time Week 1 comes calling. The 15-time Pro Bowler is also coming off a career-worst playoff performance in which the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to Dallas by the score of 31-14.
While Brady continues to put up good numbers, he’s a shell of his former self. That came out in droves during Monday night’s blowout home loss to the Cowboys. He missed on a playoff record 31 passes with a ton of them not even having a chance to be completed.
- Tom Brady stats (2022): 67% completion, 4,694 yards, 25 TD, 9 INT, 90.7 QB rating
As for the Las Vegas Raiders, those close to the organization are not necessarily buying this iteration of Brady as a savior.
“But signing him now after not signing him in 2020 — he went on to win the Super Bowl that season — would be the most “Raiders” move in two decades-worth of illogical, badly timed gaffes by the franchise.”
Las Vegas Raiders beat writer Vic Tafur on Tom Brady
Vegas does have some options at quarterback this offseason. Jimmy Garoppolo, Daniel Jones and Jacoby Brissett are all slated to hit free agency. Carson Wentz and Ryan Tannehill will also likely be released here soon. Aaron Rodgers might also be an option on the trade markert, as could former NFL MVP Lamar Jackson.