The Raiders are in the process of replacing Derek Carr, but one of their best players thought the signal-caller turnover was going to take place years ago.
Las Vegas was widely rumored as a potential landing spot for Tom Brady when it became clear he was going to leave the New England Patriots after the 2019 season. In fact, the idea of Brady joining the Raiders gained so much steam that tight end Darren Waller thought he was on the verge of becoming teammates with TB12 in the spring of 2020.
"I've heard it from multiple sources that I respect and I've been close to," Waller told Forbes' Jeff Fedotin. "They're like, 'Yeah, Brady to the Raiders was a lock.'"
Waller isn't the first noteworthy person to claim Brady nearly donned Silver and Black. Last summer, UFC president and longtime Las Vegas resident Dana White revealed it was "almost a done deal" for Brady and Rob Gronkowski to join the Raiders, but then-head coach Jon Gruden "blew the deal up." Raiders owner Mark Davis played dumb when asked about the rumor, potentially a sign that Las Vegas did make a run at the legendary quarterback-tight end duo.
The Raiders ended up parting ways with Gruden and Carr in a span of 14 months, and the organization lost its second opportunity to acquire Brady when the future Hall of Famer retired in early February. The "what could have been" likely will haunt Vegas fans, especially if the organization struggles to find a new QB.
