INDIANAPOLIS — When the Las Vegas Raiders benched Derek Carr late this season, fans instantly began connecting dots. This move, many figured, surely pointed to an offseason pursuit of Tom Brady.
But before Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels could make a recruiting pitch to his longtime friend, Brady retired, walking away from the NFL — “for good” this time, he insisted — weeks before the start of free agency.
Nearly a month later, it remains to be seen who Las Vegas’ quarterback will be this season. But McDaniels said he wasn’t banking on Brady when he booted out Carr.
“That decision really had nothing to do with any other player,” McDaniels said. “It was about what we thought was best at the time for us. I’m not surprised — honestly, nothing would surprise me with Tom. He’s a great friend of mine. Whatever’s best for Tom and his family. In this case, it was to retire. I’m certainly happy for him, and that’s not going to change our friendship.”
Though Brady already has unretired once, Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said he’s confident the 45-year-old QB’s career now is complete.
After officially cutting Carr earlier this month, the Raiders are one of several franchises with major questions behind center as the March 15 opening of free agency approaches.
“It’s obviously one of the biggest factors that will certainly impact our season, let alone our offseason,” McDaniels said. “But there’s nothing we can do other than go through our process and really do a good job of evaluating our opportunities and our options. … There’s definitely going to be some bodies added at that position, that’s for sure.”
