All signs point to the Las Vegas Raiders making a serious run at Tom Brady this NFL offseason.
And if the Silver and Black strike out with the seven-time Super Bowl champion, they might shift their focus to his former understudy.
The Raiders effectively entered the quarterback market when they benched Derek Carr in the lead-up to Week 17, even though they weren’t yet eliminated from playoff contention. A potential Carr replacement who immediately came to the minds of football fans and media members alike was Brady, who worked with Josh McDaniels for nearly two decades in New England.
During an appearance last week on “The Dan Patrick Show,” veteran NFL insider Albert Breer confidently reported on the Raiders’ interest in Brady. But in doing so, the Sports Illustrated scribe included an interesting nugget about another signal-caller.
“I can tell you unequivocally, like, this is a fact: The Raiders are looking into it. Like, the Raiders are looking into going and acquiring Tom Brady,” Breer told Patrick. “I’m not saying they’re contacting him because that’s not allowed. But, yes, this is something the Raiders are doing their research on. Same goes for Jimmy Garoppolo. They’re looking at the idea of Jimmy Garoppolo.”
Breer believes the Raiders’ pursuit of Brady boils down to two factors: Las Vegas’ view of its roster and what Brady thinks of the team’s collection of players. If the sides don’t agree a Super Bowl LVIII run is a realistic possibility, Brady might pass on the Raiders and focus on other suitors.
That could open the door for Garoppolo, who turned 31 in late November and is set to hit free agency. Jimmy G also has a history with McDaniels, but going from Carr to Garoppolo might be nothing more than a lateral move.
All told, the Raiders will be one of the teams to keep an eye on the most this spring.
