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The Las Vegas Raiders may look toward an all-time great this offseason.
“The belief around the league is the Las Vegas Raiders will pursue Tom Brady in some fashion,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said on SportsCenter. “They have the familiarity with Josh McDaniels and they know what they’re getting into there.”
Las Vegas is expected to move on from Derek Carr this offseason, which would put it in the market for a new quarterback.
Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports previously reported the Raiders “plan to be very aggressive in their pursuit of” the future Hall of Famer with a “prevailing belief around the league” that he will both play and suit up for a different team than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023.
Fowler noted the Buccaneers are “going to try” to keep Brady, so Las Vegas may have some competition from the incumbent team.
The Raiders may have an advantage that other teams don’t due to the presence of McDaniels as the head coach. He was an assistant with the New England Patriots for 18 years from 2001 through 2008 and again from 2012 through 2021 and was primarily the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
He and Brady helped lead the Patriots to six Super Bowl titles during that span as one of the greatest dynasties the NFL has ever seen.
That version of Brady likely isn’t available this offseason considering he turns 46 years old in August, but he was still largely effective at times in 2022 while completing 66.8 percent of his passes for 4,694 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
It was a step down from when he led the league with 5,316 passing yards and 43 touchdown throws in 2021, and Tampa Bay fell from 13-4 to 8-9. Still, he proved he can make most of the throws and would be getting something of a fresh start in Las Vegas.
The Raiders were among the most disappointing teams in the league in 2022, failing to live up to elevated expectations that were in place after acquiring wide receiver Davante Adams.
Carr has always put up solid statistics, but the team is yet to win a playoff game since selecting him with a second-round pick in the 2014 NFL draft. It seems to be headed in a different direction this offseason as they attempt to turn things around following a 6-11 campaign.
And that direction may be toward a quarterback with more postseason success than anyone.